Super Smash Bros Shadows
by CatmanOfGotham
Summary: Five years have passed since the Subspace Army invasion and Mario and Sonic are left picking up the pieces. Just when things seem to have finally calmed down, something is rising once more to turn their world upside down. I think this is a little different from most fanfics, so bear with me. I hope you enjoy it :)
1. Prologue

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows** - Preface

By Catman

_After five long years of incarceration, a mysterious being comes to rescue Bowser and other villains from the deathly Storm Prison. Will Bowser choose freedom and survival? Or will he follow his instincts of right and wrong?_

* * *

One moment, complete darkness; a world of nothingness stretched out for infinity.

The next, a foggy white light shot out from the endless black, headed towards him. He flinched as the light overcame his vision, pressing down into some hard surface. Then, as the foggy light began to fade, a streak of pain shot through his body. His head was pounding as though it would explode. His neck felt like someone had severed all of his tendons. His muscles ached as though he had just run a thousand miles, but he knew he hadn't moved for days.

"Come on, get up."

The voice echoed around his head, pressing into his ears like a knife. He moaned, only drawing attention to the fiery dryness in his mouth. He was unsure of whether or not he wanted to get up as fast as possible and find water to remedy his thirst or lie there forever – but he knew that neither was an option.

"Yeah, you. Get up, you ugly lug."

He felt something dull rammed into his stomach, and he wanted to vomit. However, his empty stomach prevented him from doing such as thing. Instead, he let out a dull noise, half moan and half scream. If he had enough water in his system, he would weep.

"I'm not waiting all day. Walk it off, it's the only way. You know the drill. Let's go."

Unfortunately, he knew that this was true as well. Squeezing his eyes shut, he managed to push his lifeless legs off the side of the rock bed. They tingled from being unmoved for so long. After a few minutes, he had managed to push himself into a sitting position. His neck was still too tired to lift, so he stared at his feet. He felt the prison guard's presence over him, watching him. Compared to the other guards, he was surprisingly patient.

"Alright, that's enough time. We're letting you go out into the yard today."

Still, he could not speak. After a few wheezes and painful swallows of nothing but air, he managed to breath the words, "How long?"

"A month. Do you need some water?" Without waiting for an answer, the prison guard's footsteps told that he was leaving to get some anyway. He had left the gate to the small room wide open. It was completely useless to lock it for the minute or so that he would be gone; the prisoner was too weary to even get up off of his bed, much less escape.

He managed to lift his neck halfway up. Through his dry, foggy eyes, he looked around at the tiny room. It was a little square, completely empty except for the stone slab of a bed that he sat on and a broken, dusty mirror sitting on the floor. The room was built out of stone, and the ceiling was too small of the massive prisoner to stand up in. The steel gate that was the only exit was slightly ajar, allowing a little bit of light into the room. The prisoner still had to squint to see, as even the small crack of light was practically blinding him.

Through his dulled eyes, he managed to look into the mirror. It was propped up so he could just barely see his reflection. What he saw surprised him. He felt as though he would look all skin and bones, practically on his deathbed, but he had not changed a day since he had been put down a month earlier. And when he last saw his reflection four weeks earlier, he had not aged a day in five years. It was remarkable.

Staring back at him was a hulking, terrifying monster. Sharp teeth lined a wide mouth, and green and yellow scales covered his body. Claws marked each of his fingers and toes, and around his arms and neck were spiked collars. A giant spiked shell on his back was visible in the mirror, as well as park of his long tail. Under a mane of wild red hair were bright red eyes that were glazed over. After five years in hell, Bowser – the King of the Koopas, the terrifying enemy of all the Mushroom Kingdom – had been reduced to a mere, aching body.

The guard returned, holding a plastic cup of water in one hand and chains in another. He was a human, and was much smaller than the seven foot Koopa King. However, he walked up to the monster without concern and placed the cup securely in Bowser's clawed hand. The Koopa managed to lift it to his lips and pour it in. It scalded his throat like it were fire, but he knew it was the only thing that could quench this terrible thirst. He should thank the guard for being so sympathetic, but he felt no compassion. Nothing but anger, and rage, and a desire for revenge. His hatred for everyone else could only be matched by his hatred for himself and the five years he had spent in this hell, and the years to come that would only get worse.

"Everyone's outside already. Come on."

Bowser managed to stand, pushing himself up from the bed with the violent adrenaline accumulated from his rage. The guard backed away as Bowser almost fell back on his face, staggering across the guard until he hit the other wall and steadied himself. The guard stood back as Bowser walked past him, out of his cell. When he was in the doorway, his arms and legs were fitted with the chains, just loosely enough so he could walk. He had to be treated carefully because of his massive size and strength. Bowser remembered the chaos he had caused in his first few years; no wonder he was being watched so closely.

The prison was more like a tower. Small cells, only the size of his or smaller, lined the outside, while the center of the prison was completely empty, showing the very basement of the prison all the way up to the very roof, spiraling down gently. It was very small. Not many criminals were sent here. No, only prisoners who had done extremely severe things were sent to Storm Prison, the hellish gaol surrounded by frothing oceans for miles and miles.

It felt like it took an hour for Bowser to finally reach the main floor. The guard opened the doors and let him out into what they called "the yard". Only every once in awhile did they allow the prisoners to go into the yard; and they were awake very rarely. Bowser himself had only been out there four times. He looked around. It was like a perfect little garden surrounded by nothing but pain. The yard was the small expanse of grass around the tower. It wasn't caged; nothing prevented the prisoners from leaping off of the fringes of the yard into the waters. It didn't matter if they did. Nobody could last in the ocean for more than thirty seconds without drowning, freezing to death or being rammed back into the cliffs lining Storm Prison.

A few prisoners had been let out. A few were humans; many of them were of other species. Bowser recognized a few Koopas who he'd associated with in the past. They had the same empty looks in their eyes that he'd seen in his mirror, although none of them had aged a day. Bowser trudged across the yard until he recognized a small group of people. He headed towards them slowly. All of them looked up as he sat down clumsily and heavily.

"Good evening, Bowser," Ganondorf said, his voice cracked and deep.

Bowser looked over at his old colleague. Ganondorf, a dark wizard from a distant kingdom known as Hyrule, was once a foe to be reckoned with. He still looked like the threat he used to be, with his green, smoky skin and fiery red hair. He looked as dark and grand as always in his heavy black armour, tainted with evil magic, and the gold and jewelry that littered his clothes and was embedded in his skin glittered with malice. Until, of course, one looked into his eyes. Ganondorf had faded, just like him.

"Ganondorf," Bowser responded, his voice even deeper than Ganondorf's.  
He swung his head gently to look at the others. They certainly looked mysterious, deadly, and, to be honest, quite peculiar, but beyond the borders of the Mushroom Kingdom Bowser expected creatures of such strangeness. Next to him was Wario, another associate of his. The disgusting, revolting man always look part comical, part nauseating to the Koopa King. His head was too large for his body, and his jaw was too wide. They were lined with flat white teeth that could grind bones to bits in a few seconds flat, and he had seen it. Under a helmet emblazed with a blue W, pointed ears stuck out. But by far his most distinguishing feature was his bright red nose and the crooked moustache that stretched out under it. If Wario were in better conditions, he would be picking his misshapen nose or burping loudly, but he was bent over in pain as well. It was almost chilling to see someone like Wario so silent and pained.

"These are Black Shadow, Ridley, Wolf and Shadow," Ganondorf said slowly, nodding weakly to the three strangers.

Bowser looked up. Black Shadow looked like an evil supervillain to the Koopa King, wearing a dark purple suit and cape, complete with a mask that covered his eyes and extended to two curving horns at the top. He looked strong and tall for a human, and even as he was bent over Bowser could see his toned muscles. Next to him was the most peculiar of the strangers, Ridley. The prisoner resembled a large, human-sized dinosaur, all bones and pale purple skin. Its head jutted out into a muzzle lined with tiny teeth. It even had a pointed tail and large wings, currently tucked behind him. Yet there was something distinctly human about it. Bowser had heard stories of Ridley, who was once a revered Space Pirate. Next to Ridley was Wolf, whom Bowser had also heard of. Wolf O'Donnell was, quite simply, a wolf. With deep gray fur, claws almost as sharp as Bowser's and tough biker clothes, he looked absolutely deadly. Bowser had no idea Wolf had been incarcerated, much less at Storm Prison. Wolf's eyes were on the ground, staring into nothing. Lastly there was Shadow, whom Bowser also hadn't heard of. Shadow was a hedgehog, covered in black fur with red stripes. He reminded Bowser of Sonic the Hedgehog, whom he'd met briefly years ago. The hedgehog wore sneakers and gloves, and his eyes were sharp and glowering. Bowser frowned. Shadow was the only one who didn't look glass-eyed and empty.

Bowser looked over them again, and almost smiled. "Shadow and Black Shadow?"

Shadow met his gaze and shrugged. The supervillain clad in black said nothing, as if he didn't hear him. Bowser scanned them all again. He understood how he, Ganondorf and Wario could have ended up at Storm Prison, but the other three? What could they have possibly done to be incarcerated at this hell?

"What're you in for?" Bowser grunted.

They all seemed to shake for a moment, and looked up at him.

"The government found out my team was hired to destroy the Star Fox Team," Wolf growled. Fury bubbled in his throat. He looked downright rabid with a stormy ocean and dark skies behind him. "They didn't understand that we were just paid to do a job. I shouldn't be the one here." Wolf managed to cross his arms, wincing in pain, and looked down. Ridley looked down at him in disdain.

To his immense surprise, Ridley then looked up and began to speak. "Instead of massacring me and my colleagues, bounty hunters finally managed to catch me and have placed me here. Unfortunately, I would have preferred death to the treatment we receive here. Then I could have been revived." A glint crossed Ridley's eyes as he unfolded his wings. Deep gashes had shredded the skin between his wings. "They have cut my wings; there's no chance of my escaping. I suppose I shall live out the rest of my life in this hell."

"I suppose after the fall of the Subspace Army the Galactic Federation finally had the nerve to confront me," Black Shadow said, his voice cracked and weak. "The bounty hunter Captain Falcon found me and placed me here. Which they will regret. I'll find a way out of here and take my revenge eventually."

"And just how do you intend on doing that?" Ridley hissed. "Look around you. Even an imbecile like you can recognize that there's no way any of us are escaping. We're too weak. And you are just a human."

"I certainly don't intend on accomplishing anything by sitting here, complaining about clipped wings," Black Shadow said, his voice cutting and cold.

"Be calm, my friends," Ganondorf said. Although his voice was chilling and deep, it was somewhat calming. "Your arguing will only waste your precious energy." He turned to the last of the strangers. "It's your turn, Shadow."

Shadow looked up at Bowser with those piercing black eyes, despite Ganondorf having asked the question. They were absolutely clear. Bowser felt a chill run down his spine, but refused to let it show.

"You first," Shadow countered.

Bowser achingly turned his head to look at Ganondorf. On his cold face, Bowser thought he saw Ganondorf smile. "We are being punished for the crimes we committed on behalf of the Subspace Army," he summarized.

Black Shadow, Ridley and Wolf looked up in surprise. Even Shadow's eyes flickered.

"You were in partnership with the Subspace Army?" Ridley hissed, fascinated.

Ganondorf nodded. "Indeed. Bowser, Wario and I were recruited by the Master Hand when preparations for the one hundred and thirty-sixth Brawl Tournament were being made. Then, during the first match between Mario and Kirby, I descended in a stolen airship while Wario attempted to secure the fighters." Ganondorf fixed Wario with a cold look that could shatter glass. "Perhaps," he continued, "if he had succeeded, the leaders of the revolution would have been incapable of rising against us."

Wario didn't respond, but he blinked, recognizing that he had heard something. Bowser shuffled, setting his muscles aflame once again. "What happened of R.O.B., Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf smiled wider, a cruel, emotionless smile. "See for yourself," he seethed, nodded backwards. Bowser managed to turn and look. Leading against the harsh stone wall of Storm Prison was another familiar face: R.O.B., the robot. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Bowser felt a pang of remorse.

The little robot looked crushed, as though the cruelty of the prison was physically crippling it, despite his long months in trophy form. The little robot was made of mostly white steel, with binocular-like eyes and long arms. Although it wasn't human at all, Bowser could practically feel its despair from across the yard.

"Why is it here?" Shadow asked. Bowser looked back and saw that Shadow was watching R.O.B. as well. The look in the hedgehog's eye was the same as what Bowser was feeling: sympathy. Despite Shadow's animal-like appearance, he felt as though perhaps he was the most human creature in the prison.

"R.O.B. was acting as another member of the Subspace Army," Ganondorf explained. "A subordinate to us, but a useful accomplice, nonetheless. He posed as the Ancient Minister and distributed the Subspace Bombs across Smash Land for us. However, he was easily converted by the revolution… as we were as well." A look of bitter regret passed Ganondorf's face as he lowered his head.

"If you joined the revolution, then why are you four imprisoned?" Black Shadow asked critically. "You assisted in the fall of Master Hand, did you not?"

Ganondorf fixed him with a scathing look. "The Master Hand was not the leader of the Subspace Army, you fool," he practically spat. "The Master Hand was a puppet controlled by an ancient, evil deity known only as Tabuu. We believe we would profit from the whole of Smash Land being dragged into Subspace… we believed this was the plan. But when we discovered that Tabuu was the true leader, and that he intended on dragging our whole known universe into his dimension, we agreed that he must be stopped. However, our initial actions against the revolution had to be punished, apparently."

"And now…" muttered Wario, attempting to speak despite his obvious pain, "we're stuck here… trapped in trophy form for months on end." He groaned and breathed deeply, as if speaking as torture itself. Even a month in trophy form couldn't dull Wario's revolting breath: a mixture of garlic and rotten bananas. "Why don't they… just… keep us in trophy form… forever?"

"Because if one spends too much time in trophy form, you disgusting dung pile, one cannot transform back into regular form," Ridley explained scathingly. "They must build up our stamina until we can last for months on end in trophy form. They could simply let us die, but what kind of punishment is death?"

"A merciful one," spat Wolf.

Black Shadow, Wario and Bowser grunted in agreement. Just then, a loud thunderclap pierced through the dark sky. Bowser's head had been bowed for so long that he didn't realize a storm coming in swiftly.

Guards walked out into the yard, looking upwards. "Alright, let's move it inside, folks. One at a time, okay?" A collective groan echoed around the yard. "Yeah, yeah, I know, your life is hard. Think about this if any of you ever get out of here. Move it."

Bowser attempted to stand, but fell immediately. It was too difficult to stand with chains on both his feet and arms. Ganondorf, Wario, Black Shadow, Ridley and Wolf all didn't care, and stood up on their own, walking past him slowly. Bowser muttered under his breath with complete rage, eventually roaring up at the sky.

"Need a hand?"

Bowser looked over, and saw both Shadow and R.O.B. standing above him on either side, their hands out. Bowser raised his two arms together, and the robot and the hedgehog somehow managed to get the Koopa King to his feet. Bowser groaned, and fixed his eyes on them, trying to feel some thankfulness. But he couldn't.

"Thank you," he muttered anyway. He continued walking towards the door, following the pack of peculiar criminals as they headed back towards the Storm Prison.

Then, suddenly, yet another thunderclap sounded. It sounded as though someone had fired a gun right next to Bowser's ear. He fell onto the ground in pain, a dull buzzing in his ears. He opened his eyes, and everything was blurry. But he could still see a giant chuck of dark stone from the top of Storm Prison falling past him, into the ocean. The thunderbolt had hit the tower with enough force to chip it apart.

Bowser squinted his eyes, trying to stop the ringing from happening. Eventually it faded, and he somehow managed to roll onto his stomach and push himself to his feet. Shadow was already up, and helping R.O.B. onto his wheels once again. Bowser looked around. Guards lay on the ground in pain, and some prisoners as well. Ganondorf was standing, staring up at the sky. Bowser followed his gaze, and his mouth fell agape when he saw what was above them.

It was as if the sea and the dark sky were one, towering above Storm Prison. This figure dwarfed it in comparison. Another thunderbolt illuminated the sky, most distant, outlining the figure. It was feminine, but the head seemed like it was writhing against the black sky. Then, suddenly, two eyes opened, and Bowser could see them as clearly as the sun: two black, cat-light eyes, staring down at Storm Prison.

The guards all began to yell, pointing up at the figure. What was this being? Bowser's first thought flew to Tabuu. Has the entity risen again? All he knew was that the Ruler of Subspace could change its appearance at will… it must have risen again. Then, as suddenly as its eyes had opened, a voice boomed, louder than the waves in the storm. It was as though it was right next to Bowser's ear, speaking directly to him.

"_For five years,"_ it said, its voice distinctly feminine and alluring, but venomous and full of fury, _"you have been persecuted. You have been locked away in Storm Prison for crimes you did not commit."_

Bowser was incapable of looking away from the eyes, but he could see in the corner of his peripherals both Shadow and R.O.B. gazing up at the figure as well. Before him, Ganondorf, Wario, Black Shadow, Wolf and Ridley were doing the same.

_"Your reward for fighting valiantly for justice and harmony in our known universe was incarceration; solitude, trapped in trophy form for far too long. You have withered away to nothing but empty bodies of the brave soldiers you once were."_

It was as if she were reading his mind and repeating what he had for so long wished to hear. She was speaking to his heart, understanding him like no one ever had before. She knew exactly what he felt.

_"I understand the fury, the desire for revenge that you all share," _she continued. _"My name is Medusa. I am the Goddess of Darkness, and I am here to free you from your chains. I believe the time has come for us, the protectors of the night, to rise up once more and accept the admiration and the reverence we truly deserve. Come with me and you will all be heroes."_

A shadow of doubt crossed Bowser's mind. A similar speech had been spoken to him not five years earlier from the Master Hand.

_"Some of you doubt me. If you do not wish to join me, I will respect your decision. But let it be known that if ever you change your mind, you need only ask the darkness, and I will come."_

"Hey!" a voice shouted. Bowser tore his eyes away from the shadowy figure's. A guard was running towards Ganondorf. "Get inside! What the hell do you think you're –"

Before he could finish, a giant hand extended from the sky and lifted the guard off his feet. His screams were muffled as the hand closed upon him, then cast the dead body into the sea. The hand had long black nails, its skin faintly grey. It was the hand of Medusa.

_"I request the assistance of Lord Ganondorf, Wario, R.O.B., Shadow, Wolf O'Donnell,_ _Ridley, Black Shadow and King Bowser," _Medusa's velvet voice said. The hand lowered once more, resting against the island. The guards and other prisoners were too terrified to move, much less protest. The massive hand's palm was rested upwards, beckoning to them.

"I will join you, Medusa, Goddess of Darkness," Ganondorf said unwaveringly, walking towards Medusa's hand. It was as though the stiff condition he was in had disappeared as he approached her.

"As will I," Ridley declared. Bowser watched in awe as the dragon creature walked forwards, flapping its unharmed wings in excitement.

Black Shadow, Wolf and Wario followed them. "I'm ready for some action!" Wario exclaimed, practically bouncing around. "Mario's gonna get the punishment he deserves… I'M the hero here, not that tubby little plumber!" All five climbed onto her hand to face Bowser, Shadow and R.O.B.

Medusa waited for a moment. _"I sense your hesitation."_

Ganondorf fixed Bowser with a glare. "How dare you betray me, Bowser? I was lead to believe that all you wanted was the respect you deserved." Bowser felt ashamed for a moment – not for Ganondorf, but for himself. "Here is your chance."

"I'm not going."

Shadow said the words so confidently that Bowser had to look away from Medusa's gaze. Shadow's arms were crossed, and his eyes were closed.

"_I see that I cannot change your mind, Shadow," _Medusa deducted. _"Very well. But R.O.B. Many of your family perished during the Subspace War. I think that as the last of the R.O.B.s it is your duty to maintain the legacy they fought so long for."_

Bowser looked over at R.O.B. The robot shoot its head, no expression in its binocular eyes. Both Shadow and R.O.B. had refused – the two prisoners that Bowser could truly relate to. Perhaps they had seen something that he had not.

_"And what about you, Bowser? Always misunderstood, always the enemy. You're an outcast, and you have never seen love. With me, I promise you shall receive the love and understand you truly deserve."_

But Bowser could not agree. He saw through Medusa's seductive words. He had been used once as a tool for change; he would not be used again.

"No," he growled.

"How dare you?" Ganondorf shouted with fury.

_"Very well,"_ Medusa said passively. In that instant, the chains binding Bowser's arms and legs snapped. The pain in Bowser's muscles and throat were suddenly gone, and he could move as though he were always healed. _"Remember my offer. We could greatly benefit from your contribution."_

Another thunderbolt lit the sky, and Bowser looked up at Medusa's face. It was beautiful, but terrible. A winding tattoo was carved into her face around her cat eyes. But most terrible was her hair. It consisted entirely of long, black snakes, all hissing and writhing around her. She smiled, her dark lips curving up and disturbing her winding tattoo. The sky darkened again, and suddenly her hand was gone, along with Ganondorf and the other prisoners.

"What in the hell…?" Bowser growled, staring into the sky.

"Hey!" the guards had returned. "What on earth was that? What were you doing?!"

Bowser, Shadow and R.O.B. turned. The guards were approaching them, holding guns and other weapons.

"What?!" Bowser responded, confused.

"They're trying to escape!" another guard shouted. "Get 'em!"

The guards ran at the three prisoners, their weapons pointed at them. Instinctively, Bowser breathed in a big gulp of air and exhaled a powerful torrent of fire. The guards all screamed, backing away, swatting at their burning clothing. More guards approaching, a few shooting at them with their laser guns. One hit Bowser, following by another, and another. They burned into his skin, leaving dark black marks.

"They think we had something to do with that," Shadow muttered. "We have to get out of here, as soon as possible."

Shadow curled into a ball and in the blink of an eye, he had darted towards the guards and knocked the weapons out of their hands. R.O.B. looked terrified, his eyes glossy and shining. One guard managed to get past Shadow and tried to grab the robot.

"Hey!" Bowser growled. He grabbed the guard and threw him over the edge of the cliff. The guard's screaming was soon overcome by the loud, powerful waves.

Bowser, Shadow and R.O.B. continued to fight the guards. However, there were too many of them to fight their way out of, and they were already beginning to feel weak. It had been too long since they had fought. The guards cornered them against the edge of the cliff, their weapons up.

"Stand down!" one shouted.

Shadow exchanged a look with Bowser. The Koopa King wasn't sure if they were on the same page, but decided to trust his instincts. He nodded, and then nodded down at R.O.B. Before the guards could do anything, the three legendary criminals leapt off the edge of the cliff, towards the dark, churning ocean.

* * *

Thanks for reading! 3


	2. Chapter One

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows **- Chapter One

By Catman

_Mario and Peach arrive in Smashville to attend the Smash Council meeting, headed by none other than Sonic. Their topic of discussion? Whether or not there will be another Brawl Tournament after the Subspace Army's invasion five years ago._

* * *

The beautiful Smash Mansion rose up before him like some ancient, legendary sanctuary. In a way, it was. The palace of sorts, carved out of gleaming marble, stood in the very center of Smashville. It was surrounded by tall, shimmering golden gates that protected it from the city around it. Even the large, surrounding courtyard was beautiful, with its colorful tiles laid out in intricate patterns, occasionally disturbed by a large, elegant fountain. In the middle of the courtyard was a small, man-made hill, with marble steps leading all the way to the top where the Mansion stood. It could be seen for miles away, a beacon of hope and light for all.

The sight never failed to take his breath away. The design was simple, but elegant, and showed its age but still looked as strong and powerful as ever. The roof glided upwards to bear the Smash Symbol: a simple circle with a cross in the bottom corner. He smiled as he gazed upwards at that symbol. A hand rested upon his shoulder.

He looked up into the eyes of Princess Peach, a sight just as beautiful as the Mansion. Long, golden strands of hair waved down her back under a golden crown embedded with precious jewels that gleamed almost as much as her big blue eyes. A long, elegant pink dress sewed with lace swept down to her feet, and in her white gloved hands she held a dainty pink parasol, resting on her shoulder.

"It could have been yours, Mario," Peach said softly with a smile. "Are you sure you don't regret choosing to come back to live in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

Mario looked forward with a smile. "Of course not," he responded to the Toadstool Princess. "All I've wanted was to stay with you." In his own white gloved hand, he took Peach's and walked towards the Mansion. Only a few people and animals loitered around in the courtyard casually. He looked up at the tall fountains, and recognized the small statues at the top of each. He was approaching the shrine of Link, his old friend. The young warrior from Hyrule had his metallic sword raising, pointed towards the sky, from which water flowed down in a beautiful pattern.

Peach turned back. "We won't be too long, Toadsworth. Keep the carriage ready!" she called in her singsong voice.

"Yes, Princess!" a frail old voice called from the entrance of the courtyard. It had taken many long days to travel from the Mushroom Kingdom to Smash Land, but it was a journey that had to be taken. Today the Smash Council would meet again to discuss the fate of the 137th Brawl Tournament.

Peach giggled. "Look, Mario. It's you."

As the pair approached the steps to the Smash mansion, Mario recognized two ridiculously large, ornate fountain shrines flanking each side. He rolled his eyes as he looked up at his own statue. He was ashamed to admit that it was painfully accurate: his short, plump body wore the very red shirt, overalls, gloves and boots that he wore today, only the statue's were made of pure gold. His magnificent round nose and incomparable moustache were immortalized forever beneath his wide golden eyes. He was quite unimpressed with the pose that they had him in; his hand was up, holding his signature "M" emblazoned hat high in the air, revealing his short, unkempt hair. Water poured from the "M" in a dazzling pattern around him.

"I do not look like that," Mario denied weakly.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Peach giggled. "I much prefer Sonic's, don't you?"

Mario looked over at the other statue. It was, admittedly, much more flattering to the blue hedgehog. He was all gangly lings and slim torso, just like the true hero. He wore nothing but white gloves and bright red shoes, and his thumb was up in his signature pose. His wild hair jetted out behind him, and his long nose pointed out from his face. Water emerged from his thumb, which Mario found quite peculiar.

Immediately Mario had disdain for this statue. The hedgehog who owned this statue, and all of the holy Smash Mansion, was an associate of Mario's, but also a rival. Five years earlier, it had been Mario that had saved the universe from being dragged into Subspace, and it was he who had been invited to live in the Mansion. However, he declined, so instead they gave it to Sonic, whose contribution had been vital, but minimal. Ever since the blue hero had been dwelling in the temple, showered with love and admiration from the people of Smash Land.

"Mario dear, you're green with envy!" Peach chuckled, placing her hand on his shoulder again. "Try not to blame Sonic. It's not his fault that you decided to turn down the people of Smash Land's offer." Mario looked up at her again, and she smiled. "You're still the true hero to the citizens, and to me." She bent down and kissed Mario on the forehead. He felt slightly dizzy and giddy after her kiss. "Now come on! Lady Palutena is expecting us."

The two climbed the steps, towards the large golden doors. Before they had reached the last step, the doors swung open before them. Two human citizens of Smash Land, dressed in official-looking garb, held the doors open as four more guards exited, surrounding one unfamiliar, peculiar little creature who bounced forward on white sneakers.

"Hiya!" it exclaimed excitedly. It was even shorter than Mario, and looked like a yellow fox with fluffy fur and twin tails. "My name is Miles Prower, Sonic's best friend. But you can call me Tails! He wanted me to answer doors for him – isn't that great?" Peach smiled and covered her mouth, obviously enamoured with the little sidekick. Even Mario had to admit he was adorable. "Anyway, you must be Mario and Princess Peach. It's an honor to meet you!"

Tails bowed to Peach and held out his hand. Peach took it and Tails kissed her hand, making Peach sigh, overtaken by his cuteness. "Follow me! Everyone else has arrived. You're a little late, you know!"

Tails turned around and, to Mario's great surprise, twirled his tails around in a circle and gently lifted off the ground, propelled into the air by the wind force. Tails glided back into the Mansion, and Mario and Peach followed. The six guards followed close behind them, silent and sentient, protecting them even though no evil had ever touched the Mansion.

The inside of the Mansion was as beautiful as the outside. It had the same slick marble floors and tall, intricately designed pillars that held up the tall, cathedral-like ceiling. Mario almost tripped as he looked up at the beautiful murals painting there. They depicted ancient, legendary warriors. To his immense shock, he saw himself painted up on the ceiling, battling the evil deity Tabuu. Even the painted sight of Tabuu made Mario shiver.

"Neat, huh?" Tails said, looking upwards as well. "You're a legend, Mario!"

"So, Tails," Peach said, twirling her parasol, "Mario and I have been here quite a few times over the past few years. How is it that we've never met you before?"

"Oh, that's because Sonic just recently called for me," Tails explained. "My and my friend Knuckles were living on Mobius for awhile, but Sonic said that he had a surprise for us. I've been here only for a month or so." Tails look pleasantly content. "I like it here; everyone's really friendly. There weren't too many humans on Mobius, and the ones I have met usually aren't too nice."

"Well, welcome to Smash Land, Tails," Peach greeted warmly. "And maybe someday you can visit the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario and I live. I think you'd like it there."

The group walked up a flight of stairs at the end of the hall, lined with ancient, priceless paintings. At the top was another grand hall lined with doors. However, just before the staircase was another pair of large golden doors, not quite as grand as the entrance, but still elaborate and beautiful. Two guards stepped forward and opened the doors into what Mario immediately recognized at the Conference Room, which he'd visited many times before.

This room was cozier and less grand than the rest of the Mansion, but still sumptuous and lavishly decorated. It was lit by glass chandeliers that hung over a long, wide oak table that could sit a hundred people comfortably. The walls were painted a dark, luscious red, and beautiful carpets covered the dark wood floors. A fireplace at the end of the room blazed cheerily, flanked by tall windows. A few people Mario recognized were already present, and they all turned when they entered.

Sonic the Hedgehog was sitting at the largest chair at the end of the table. He stood, and opened his arms. "Mario! Peach!" he exclaimed. "It's so awesome to see you again!"

Peach strode forwards around the table, towards the end where everyone was gathered. They all greeted her warmly. Mario followed her slowly, looking at his friends. Sonic was a spitting image of his statue, all blue fur and sharp eyes. On his right sat a large raccoon with neatly trimmed brown fur, dressed to the nines in a sharp navy tuxedo and red tie. It was none other than Tom Nook, a successful businessman and tycoon in Smash Town. Two seats to Sonic's left sat Mewtwo, a Pokémon; also known as a mysterious, rare creature with unlimited powers unique to mankind. Mewtwo exuded power and wisdom. He was nearly as tall as Peach, with pale purple fur, tall ears and a long tail. Mewtwo never spoke, and only communicated through telepathy if necessary. All Pokémon were mysterious to Mario, but none more so than Mewtwo. Standing behind Sonic was by far the most radiant creature in the room, surpassing even Peach: Palutena, the Goddess of Light. She was taller than any human Mario knew, but then again, she wasn't even human. Her face was incomparably beautiful, and atop her long, flowing mane of green hair that reached her ankles sat an elaborate gold tiara. She was draped in white satin decorated with ancient, magical artefacts, and a peculiar piece of jewellery sat around her neck on a necklace. She held a glowing blue scepter in her hands. Everywhere she walked, she seemed to radiate a sort of heavenly light.

"Mario!" Sonic exclaimed, breaking the plumber from his reverie. Mario blushed. He hadn't realized that he had been staring unabashedly at Palutena. Sonic pulled him into an embrace. "How've things been in the Mushroom Kingdom, brother?"

"Well," Mario answered shortly. "And in Smash Land?"

Sonic sighed. "Still recovering, unfortunately," he said shamefully. "Unfortunately, I don't know if sure things will ever be like they were before the Subspace Army invaded. But they're healing, slowly and surely." He clapped his hands together, turning to the table. "Now! Where is Master Hand? We're already off schedule."

The doors opened once more, and as if on cue, through the doorway floated the protector the Smash Mansion. To anyone else this sight would have been a shock, but Mario had met Master Hand many times before. This being was no more and no less than a giant, white gloved hand, levitating above the ground elegantly. Nobody knew what the Master Hand was or how it came to be; it simply was.

"Mario!" a deep, booming voice echoed. It was the voice of the Hand. Mario suspected it came from the inside of the glove, but it sounded as if it came from the walls themselves. The ties that bound Master Hand to the walls of Smash Mansion were great. No matter who owned and lived in Smash Mansion, Master Hand would always be its true owner.

Mario looked at Master Hand, trying to hide his wariness. "Master Hand, it's good to see you again," he said as enthusiastically as he could. He had always been uncertain about the Master Hand; its true intentions were unknown to Mario. However, his relationship with the mysterious being collapsed entirely five years ago when he was lead to believe that Master Hand was fighting with the Subspace Army, against the World of Trophies and with Tabuu. It was revealed that Tabuu was using Master Hand as a puppet, but ever since he could not see the mythical hand the same way.

Master Hand flexed its long fingers. "Shall we commence now, Sonic?"

Sonic nodded. "Have a seat, everyone. Let's get this Smash Council meeting in gear."

The Smash Council technically only consisted of six members: Sonic, the leader; Palutena, the advisor; Master Hand, second-in-command; Tom Nook, the treasurer and secretary; and Mewtwo and Mario, who assisted with important decisions. However, also joining them at the long conference table were Peach, Tails, and yet another creature Mario didn't recognize. It was a bright red echidna, who looked tough and strong. His arms were folded, revealing his white spiked gloves. He sat next to Tails without a word. Mario assumed this was Knuckles, Sonic's friend who had accompanied Tails from Mobius. He certainly fitted his name.

"Alright guys," Sonic began. "So we all know why we're here, right?"

"I don't!" Tails exclaimed. Knuckles hit him gently, reminding him to be quiet. "But I don't…" Tail muttered quietly, rubbing his arm.

Sonic laughed. "Alright, then… let's remind ourselves why we're meeting. In about two months' time, the one hundred and thirty-seventh Brawl Tournament is supposed to commence." Sonic sighed deeply, cracking his knuckles in obvious disappointment as he continued. "However, over past council meetings, we have still yet to decide whether or not this tournament will continue."

"Why's that?" Tail piped up. Knuckles sighed deeply, irritated.

"Because," Sonic elaborated, "on the day of the exhibition match during the one hundred and thirty-sixth Brawl Tournament, which occurred almost five years ago, we were invaded by inter-dimensional terrorists, known as the Subspace Army."

Mario nodded quietly. He was one of the two fighters who had been fighting during this exhibition match. Many lives had been lost that night. Fortunately, none of his friends were included in the death toll.

"If it were up to me, I would say we need to get this show on the road," Sonic said, throwing his hands up. "The Subspace Army invasion isn't going to happen again. Tabuu has been destroyed; we are safe. And if anyone else tries to mess with us, we'll be ready. Let's prepare for the worst, but I don't think what happened five years ago should prevent us from stopping an age-old tradition of Smash Land."

"The entire concept of the Brawl Tournament is dangerous, Sonic," Palutena said. Mario felt dizzy, like he did when Peach kissed him. Her voice was soft and smooth, and seemed to echo in his ears like bells chiming in perfect harmony, weaving together to make one voice. "How can we ask thousands of innocent people to be spectators for this event when so many died last time? As you said, the people of Smash Land are suffering, but they are recovering. We cannot ask them to reopen healing wounds."

"May I butt in for a second?" a rough, coarse voice spoke. Mario turned to Knuckles, who was learning forwards to see Sonic and Palutena. "What is this Brawl Tournament?"

"Every five years, Smash Land hosts a tournament that tests the skills of the best fighters in the universe," Tom Nook explained, his voice high and wavering, like Toadsworth's. "These fighters are heroes of their respective nations. They are pitted against each other in matches, and whoever wins the tournament is crowned the Brawl King… or Queen, of course." Tom Nook gestured to Mario, who sat in the seat next to him. "Mario here was our last official Brawl King, as he won the one hundred and thirty-fifth Brawl Tournament."

Mario nodded. It had been one of his proudest moments. Knuckles eyed him questioningly, as if he doubted that the short, portly plumber had actually won the Brawl Tournament. Mario returned his glare defensively, until Knuckles turned back to Sonic.

The echidna's eyes narrowed. "So let me get this straight… you guys are the Smash Council, is that right? And your job is to organize these tournaments?"

"Well, no," Tom Nook replied, frowning slightly. "The Smash Council was established after the fall of the Subspace Army and their leader, Tabuu. Before then, Smash Land had no government, no rulers, nothing at all. Then we decided that perhaps it was time for us to elect officials to organize the goings-on and such of our fine land."

"So the leader of this council is some foreigner who's never even fought in a Brawl Tournament before?" Knuckles asked, judgementally. Mario smiled to himself slightly. Perhaps this Knuckles character wasn't that bad after all. "And you're letting him decide whether or not it's going to be put on this year? How does that make any sense?"

"Sonic is a hero," Palutena answered calmly. "Along with Mario, Princess Peach and many others, he saved our universe from destruction. Without him, none of us would be here, but in the terrible Subspace universe, ruled by Tabuu. In essence, yes, we have elected a person who has not competed in our tournaments, nor lived in our land, but I believe we have made a fine decision." Palutena's eyes met Mario's and glinted mysteriously.

Mario pressed his lips together in acknowledgement. Five years ago, when Mario refused to live in the Mansion and Sonic was offered it instead, Palutena was strongly against it. She believed it was either Mario or no one who deserved to live in the home of heroes. Then, when Sonic was to lead the Council she advocated against him once more, recommending Mario, which Sonic was all too aware of. Sonic was currently looking at Palutena suspiciously.

"Master Hand, what say you?" Tom Nook asked, hurriedly attempting to change the subject. "It's quite unlike you to go so long without sharing your opinion – which we honour gratefully, of course! Is something amiss?"

Everyone turned to look at the giant hand floating gently at the opposite end of the table. "I'm afraid I'm of little use in this matter," Master Hand said weakly. "The Chains of Light bound me to Tabuu's dark will many months before the last Brawl Tournament occurred. I cannot remember anything until a few moments after my chains were cut and I was freed from the terrible Subspace Army."

They all waited, as they could tell he had more to say.

"However," Master Hand continued, "we cannot let this age-old tradition perish. For as long as I have lived on the World of Trophies the Brawl Tournament has occurred. It is more than a mere sport; it is a true test of the willpower and strength of our world's heroes. As representative of the Smash Mansion, I believe it is our duty to continue this competition."

"Exactly!" Sonic exclaimed. "If Master Hand thinks it's a good idea, it can't be wrong. Mario, what about you?" The hedgehog turned to Mario, expecting him to agree.

The ex-plumber folded his arms, furrowing his brow. Of course he wanted the Brawl Tournament to continue; he had participated in two so far – three, if the one hundred and thirty-seventh tournament (which had been disturbed during the firth match) counted – and had won his second competition. Every five years he looked forward to this event, so much that it was now like a part of him. Smash Land was defined by this; it was what held it together. If the Brawl Tournament was not held, the country's sense of unity would crumble. And Sonic was right; with the Subspace Army gone, what threat was there?

Mario shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Sonic smiled and nodded once. "Mewtwo? Do you have anything to add?"

The last member of the council was silent, its eyes closed as if asleep. But Mario knew it was just deep in thought. He had no idea what Mewtwo thought on the subject. Unless it was of vital important, Mewtwo would not share its opinion.

Sonic still waited a few more seconds before continuing. "Okay then," he pressed on, fully used to Mewtwo's strange ways of communication. "I suppose we should put it to a vote. All against, please say so."

"I am against," Palutena said, her voice so firm and convincing that it almost changed Mario's mind. She raised her hand gently, holding it in the air confidently.

_"I am against as well," _a voice said. It was deep and mysterious, and sounding as if it came from Mario's head like his own thought. However, it was not Master Hand; it was Mewtwo. Mewtwo's eyes were still closed, his head bowed. Mario frowned. What did Mewtwo believe was so wrong with having another tournament? He had competed against the legendary Pokémon in his second competition – which we won – and obviously defeated it, but by very narrow. Mewtwo had not returned to compete in the one hundred and thirty-seventh tournament, despite an invitation sent out to it.

Sonic looked surprised as well. "Alright… all in favour?"

He, Mario and Tom Nook all raised their hands. Master Hand raised his finger as well. Sonic's face broke into a bright, wide smile. The 137th Brawl Tournament was back on. Palutena frowned, grasping her scepter tightly.

"Excellent!" Sonic exclaimed. "We must begin making preparations, then. We'll need to select our competitors and begin construction on the stadium… we also have to start advertising. Tom, crunch some numbers, okay? We need to know what our budget is. Maybe we'll even need –"

_"A moment, please."_

Sonic was caught mid-sentence, his finger raised in thought. Everyone looked at Mewtwo in shock. The Pokémon's head was raised and its eyes were open, revealing its glowing purple eyes. They had a look of calmness, but urgency in them. Mario tilted his head, confused. Perhaps the light in its eyes was… fear.

_"I believe that this is a grave mistake."_

Its words were so solemn and dreadful that a shiver went down Mario's back. Mario reached for Peach's hand and held it in his own. He had only heard Mewtwo speak a handful of times, but never this serious and demanding.

_"I believe that dark forces intend on invading the World of Trophies once more," _the deep voice inside of Mario's head boomed. _"I cannot be sure whether or not it is the Subspace Army; their dimension is outside of my mind's reach. But I am certain that something malevolent has its shadowy eye on Smash Land. We mustn't give them an opportunity to strike."_

"Perhaps your prophecy is just a little bit late," Sonic said, dripping with venom. Mario and Peach both looked at Sonic, shocked. No one had ever spoken to the mighty Psychic-type Pokémon like that before in Mario's memory. The hedgehog was glaring full-out into the Pokémon's eyes, challenging and defensive. "Where were you when the Subspace Army attacked the first time?"

_"I told you, the Subspace dimension is not within my reach," _the voice continued slowly. _"I could not predict their attack. By the time I had arrived in Smash Land from across the Northern Oceans, it was too late; the revolution had ventured into Subspace themselves. My assistance was not necessary. And so I believe that the shadowy forces come from inside our own realm."_

Sonic stood dismissively. "Well, I'm sorry, but I happen to disagree with you. We've had a vote, Mewtwo, and the 137th Brawl Tournament will happen in two months, with or without your approval. You've been overruled. The Subspace Army has been defeated; we're safe. Council meeting adjourned!" Sonic pushed his chair back in and meant to walk around the table.

In a flash, Mewtwo stood up from its chair and leapt onto the table. Peach screamed and Tom Nook fell out of his chair in shock. Mario, Knuckles and Tails all leapt up from their chairs, and Master Hand rose higher into the air. Palutena remained seated, gazing up at Mewtwo with revering interest.

_"Listen to me," _Mewtwo hissed. His voice sounded like an earthquake inside of Mario's brain. The Mushroom Kingdom hero put his hands to his head, but it did not help. Peach, Knuckles, Tails and Tom Nook all did the same, to no avail. _"You insolent, overconfident heroes think you know all. The invasion of the Subspace Army upon our known universe was not the first. You believe you have defeated Tabuu with your immense power and wisdom; this is not so. I believe Tabuu is returning. Perhaps whatever will invade us is not him and his army, but someday it may be. I pray that the protectors of the World of Trophies will be more prepared than fools like you when he does."_

On that note, Mewtwo spun around and flew towards the door, just past Master Hand, and soared down the hall. Mario ran out after him, gazing down the stairs after the Pokémon. It was gone.

Back in the Conference Room, Sonic looked frustrated and furious. "How dare he?" the hedgehog fumed, helping Tom Nook back onto his feet. "What's his problem, anyway? You know what, we should kick him off the Council. He's useless, anyway. Half the time he doesn't even help out with decisions."

"That's a lie, and you know it, Sonic," Palutena said, standing. Sonic turned to her, about to argue, but her sheer beauty stopped him. She seemed to glow once more, her face taught with anger. "Mewtwo has powers unlike any we have ever known. I would advise you to take his advice. As Goddess of Light and ruler of Angel Land, if you continue with your plan to host this competition, then I have no choice but to forbid any of my people to participate. That includes Pit," she added, her eyes glinting.

Mario frowned. Pit was one of his closest friends, an angel warrior from Angel Land and Palutena's close adversary. Pit had joined the revolution when the Subspace Army invaded, and was considered a hero to the people of Smash Land. His statue was somewhere outside in the courtyard, just like Mario's, Sonic's and Link's.

"I'm afraid I have to way to stop you, Lady Palutena," Sonic replied with a shrug. "If that's what you have to do, I won't stand in your way. It sure is a shame, though; I'm sure Pit would have loved to compete."

Palutena did not answer, but swept around the table and out of the Conference Room. Her glowing atmosphere followed her, making the room seem smaller, colder and darker.

Sonic looked on after her, frustrated. "I don't see the big deal!"

"Sonic, maybe you should listen to them," Peach suggested. "They are two of the wisest members of the Council."

"It's true," Master Hand added, floating along the table towards them. "But I don't understand their worry. What could possibly threaten us? We are prepared now. We'll take extra precautions."

"Exactly!" Sonic exclaimed. "Come on, Tom. We've got work to do."

Sonic strode past Mario and Peach towards the door with Tom Nook at his side. He turned back for a moment. "I know you two must want to leave soon, but if you'd like to stay the night, I can ask the guards to set up a room for you."

"Thank you, Sonic," Peach called after him as the hedgehog and the raccoon strode out of the room. She looked after them regretfully. Tails and Knuckles looked over at them from across the table.

"That sure was scary," Tails said, spinning his tail to float in the air. "I wouldn't want to cross him!"

"Neither would I," Mario agreed, frowning. He looked up at Peach. "What do you say, Princess? A night here couldn't hurt."

Peach smiled down at him. "Alright," she said joyfully. "I'll go alert Toadsworth. Surely Sonic wouldn't mind if our coach and steward slept here for one night."

"I don't see why not," Master Hand reasoned. "We have enough rooms in the Mansion to sleep one hundred men."

"I'll come with you, Princess!" Tails chimed in. The fox escorted the Princess out of the Conference Room, followed by Master Hand, who had a tendency to come and go as he pleased. Only two remained in the room: Mario and Knuckles.

Mario could feel Knuckles' eyes on him. "So you're the Brawl King, huh?" the echidna asked judgementally.

Mario looked at him challengingly. "Best fighter in the World of Trophies," he confirmed.

"You sure about that, tubby?" Knuckles laughed mockingly, folding his arms. His spikes looked ominous. "Maybe I'll try my hand at this contest this year."

"I don't know," Mario countered, his eyes glinting. "Only heroes who have actually done something brave are invited to compete."

Knuckles chuckled to himself. "Don't worry about it, tubs." The echidna strode out of the Conference Room confidently, leaving Mario to himself. The Mushroom Kingdom hero sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead.

The meeting had been a disaster. Now he not only had to worry about helping Sonic prepare for the tournament, but he also had to find a way to appease Mewtwo and convince Lady Palutena to allow Pit to compete. Mario strode over to the windows and looked out across Smashville, the beautiful, peaceful city. It was hard to believe that not five years it had been in complete chaos.

Mario was the true hero of the World of Trophies, not Sonic. Maybe now it was his time to lead Smash Land and make the right decisions.

* * *

Thanks for reading! 3


	3. Chapter Two

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows** - Chapter Two

By Catman

_Samus, Link and Zelda have all arrived in Smash Land as the 137th Brawl Tournament draws near. Preparations have been made by the Smash Council and for once, everyone seems agreed that this year it may go off without a hitch... until another shocking appearance turns things on its head._

* * *

A crisp, cool breeze blew from the Northern Oceans and swept across the long airstrip of Port Town. The water seemed to stretch out for infinity with nothing on the blue horizon to disturb it, except what appeared to be a tiny ship far from the mainland. The sky reached down, pale blue in the morning light, and met the ocean at the foggy line. It was a good day.

Samus Aran closed her eyes for a moment and just breathed. After nearly five years of living inside of her starship, or breathing the artificial oxygen that her Power Suit created for her, she had almost forgotten how sweet and clean the air was on the World of Trophies. She opened her eyes once more and, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, she smiled to herself. Samus leaned against her gunship, parked neatly on the flat cement airstrip next to her, and just watched the ocean.

Just then, she heard footsteps behind her. The legendary bounty hunter turned around swiftly, prepared to replace her helmet back onto her head in case of a threat. But she sensed no danger in the small group of humans and Toads that were approaching her. As she brushed a strand of long blonde hair from her eyes, she assessed them. Judging by their official attire, she assumed most of the humans and Toads were guards from Smashville and the Mushroom Kingdom, respectively. One human, however, was much taller and didn't look quite like a human of Smash Land. She wore a form-fitting black dress and her dark brown hair was pulled into a conservative, but intricate bun at the back on her head. She was one of the most beautiful humans she'd ever seen, but looked as though she didn't want much attention. Her eyes were wide and dark, and her lips full and painted bright red.

When the group approached her, only the beautiful woman spoke. "Good morning," she said awkwardly, her hands clutched in front of her uncomfortably. She seemed to be struggling with what to say as she looked up at the heavily armoured bounty hunter that towered above her by a good foot or so of height. "You… you are Samus Aran, right?"

Samus nodded silently. In her armoured hand she held out a folded slip of paper: her invitation. The woman looked up at it, surprised.

"Oh, no, that's okay… we know who you are," she said, laughing to herself.

"Oh, give me that!" a high, tinny voice groaned. Some of the Smashville guards moved aside as a Toad emerged from the centre of the group. Its mushroom head was faded, with big brown spots on it. Small glasses rested on its face before it dark eyes. Its moustache truly was something to behold. In his small Toad hand, he held a cane that greatly resembled his toadstool head. It was none other than Toadsworth, the royal steward of Princess Peach.

Toadsworth looked up at Samus and took the invitation. "Good morning, Samus," he said coolly. They did not know each other well, but they had seen each other enough to recognize one another. Samus nodded politely. Toadsworth quickly read over the invitation. "Yes, it's her!" he said to the human quickly, before turning back to Samus. "My apologies, Miss Aran. It's routine, you see; after all of the impersonations that occurred during the Subspace War, we can't be too careful. This is Vivian, one of Sonic's employees."

"It's an honour to meet you, Miss Aran," Vivian gushed, almost curtsying. Samus looked at her witheringly as the girl straightened up, embarrassed.

"We're just waiting for the arrival of Link and Her Majesty Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," Toadsworth explained. "I believe you were told your gunship had to stay here at the Port Town Airstrip, correct? It's quite inconvenient, but I'm afraid we just don't have the space at Smash Mansion to accommodate for all of our competitor's vehicles."

Samus nodded wistfully, looking out towards the Eastern Oceans. A large, grand ship was approaching the harbour, still quite far away. With her incredible senses, she could see every detail carved into the ship's hull. The intricate designs – most notably the use of the Hylian symbol, the Triforce – mixed with its incredible sturdiness told Samus instantly that it was from Hyrule. Link and Zelda were arriving fast.

"Is that them, Toadsworth?" Vivian asked, staring up at the ship in wonder.

"Of course, you twit!" Toadsworth scoffed. "Come, we must greet our guests."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Hylian ship had been docked in one of the massive piers attached to Port Town. A drawbridge had been extended, bridging the gap between the tall ship and the dock. Samus, Toadsworth, Vivian and the guards all waited patiently for its passengers to disembark. A crowd of knights clad in armour descended first, following by Link and Zelda themselves.

Samus hid a smile as she looked up at two of her old friends. Of all the heroes she had met during her short stays in Smash Land, Link and Zelda certainly weren't her closest. But the last time she had laid eyes on them, they had just defeated Tabuu. It dragged up good memories of a happy moment in her life when she saw them.

They had both aged. Princess Zelda was young, but in her sharp blue eyes there was wisdom far beyond her years. She looked as graceful as ever in a silky white gown covered by a dark red, floral robe, it sleeves slightly too long for her arms. Her brown hair was pulled back, held back by more floral pins and her signature tiara. Her ears stuck out, pointing like an elf's. She seemed to float down the drawbridge as if in a dream.

Link followed close beside her. When Samus had met Link and Zelda nearly ten years earlier, their connection had been obvious to her. But over the course of the Subspace war, when everything had been torn apart and no one was sure what they had lost, it was clear that their relationship had only grown. Before her eyes, Link slipped his leather-gloved hand into hers as the drawbridge grew steeper, and the two shared a glance. He was dressed in his traditional green hero's garb: a loose tunic, tall boots, a long pointed hat and white pants. His large arsenal of weapons hung on his back and around his belt. His light brown hair, messy as ever, poked out from under his hat.

Link tore his eyes away from Zelda and noticed Samus. His sharp, bright blue eyes connected with hers, and he smiled. Samus respected him; his incredible bravery and wisdom made up for his youth, and he was much more intelligent than any person Samus had ever met. The group of Hylians met Toadsworth and Samus' group on the pier, and Link's hand slipped out of Zelda's.

"Your Majesty!" Toadsworth cried, bowing deeply. When he bent over, the weight of his mushroom head toppled him over. Vivian gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth, and two guards assisted the Toad up. Samus smiled, and locked eyes with Zelda, who was smiling as well. As two of the few female fighters who had ever participated in a Brawl Tournament, Samus felt a connection with Zelda as well as Link.

Toadsworth straightened himself up, his face beet red in embarrassment. "My most sincere apologies, Princess," Toadsworth muttered. "How was your voyage from Hyrule?"

"Pleasant," answered Zelda shortly. "And how have you been faring, Toadsworth?"

"Oh, quite well, Your Majesty!" Toadsworth squeaked.

Zelda looked up at Vivian. "And who is this, Toadsworth?" she asked curiously.

Toadsworth looked around, confused. "Oh, this is Vivian," he said offhandedly, clearly thinking she wasn't worth his time. "An employee of Sonic's, of course." Vivian nodded shyly, avoiding eye contact with the beautiful princess as she curtsied slightly. "Now, shall we return to Port Town? I'm certain our transportation is prepared."

As they made their way back from the pier, Samus trailed behind a few meters, watching the guards and guests converse. Zelda and Toadsworth maintained steady conversation, but Zelda frequently looked up at Vivian with a peculiar look. Samus watched them, confused.

"Samus," a deep voice said.

Samus looked next to her. Link had fallen back and was walking beside her, looking up with a slight smile. He had grown taller now, and was only a couple inches shorter than her, and his voice was even deeper now; she had barely recognized his voice.

"Link," Samus replied, returning his smile slightly.

"How have you been?" Link asked. His maturity and formality always frightened her.

Samus shrugged slightly. "Fine. And you?"

Link smiled. "Fantastic. Hyrule is safe; I am with Zelda. I've never been happier." He looked up at the tall bounty hunter skeptically. "I'm surprised. You aren't wearing your helmet."

"There isn't much air in outer space, Link," Samus replied sarcastically. "I like to breathe real air every once in a while, you know."

Link smiled as the two followed the group up towards Port Town once more.

Back at the edge of the airstrip, where many vehicles had been parked, Samus was expecting the group to turn into the city. She barely noticed the large, familiar blue car parked in between two equally flashy automobiles until Toadsworth walked up to the race car.

"Captain Falcon!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Ah, you've arrived."

Samus looked up in surprise as the clear owner of the race car, who was leaning into the slick vehicle, emerged fully and smiled down at Toadsworth. As quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself, Samus tucked her hair into her suit of armour and replaced her helmet upon her head. Instantly, the computer built into her helmet booted up, and through the enhanced glass of visor she zoomed in on Captain Falcon's face. A small square identified the racer for her.

_"Douglas Jay Falcon," _a small computer voice spoke into Samus' ear. _"Thirty-seven years old, male. An accomplished bounty hunter known best for his achievements in various racing competitions across the World. He has competed in three Brawl Tournaments to date."_

Link looked up at her, slightly confused as to why she had replaced her helmet. Samus nodded to reassure him everything was fine. Then she returned her gaze to Captain Falcon. He looked as striking as ever, a tall figure both in height and muscular frame. He wore a bright red suit instead of his traditional blue, and he lacked most of his attire and equipment. Still, on his head he wore his signature half-helmet that shielded his eyes with a visor not unlike Samus', the falcon-wing symbol arching above his brow.

"Toadsworth!" Captain Falcon exclaimed. "It's been too long." He held out his large hand, bending down slightly so the steward could reach. Toadsworth awkwardly put his miniscule hand in the Captain's and shook it warily.

"Yes, um…" Toadsworth turned to the group behind him. "We've arranged for you to transport Link, Princess Zelda and Miss Aran to Smashville, while the guards and I will follow you in our own vehicles. We would bring them with us, but security has been hiked for this tournament, and we know that your race car is one of the most versatile in the World."

"No problem," Captain Falcon said coolly, looking up at the other three competitors with a smile. "Good morning Link, Zelda," he said with a nod. Then, although Samus could not see his eyes nor he could see hers, their eyes connected. "Good morning, Samus." The greatest bounty hunter in the universe narrowed her eyes slightly. She nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

A few Toads and Hylian guards approached from behind, carrying a large, metallic square box among several of them and quite a few cloth bags and old-fashioned briefcases made of wood and leather. "Here's the luggage, sir!" one Toad squawked at Toadsworth, clearly struggling under the weight of Samus' metallic luggage. Samus strode forwards and lifted it off of the four Toads' heads easily. They looked embarrassed, blushing madly. Four humans handed the Hylian luggage to the Toads instead and took the metal box.

"Quit goofing around, you four," Toadsworth scolded. "Take this luggage to the carriages please. We shall depart soon! Sonic and Master Hand are expecting us by noon." Toadsworth checked his watch. "And we're right on schedule. Let's go!"

The guards and Vivian followed Toadsworth to the modest carriages parked not too far away from Captain Falcon's race car, also known as the Blue Falcon. Samus frowned as she examined them. They were designed to look traditional, but something about the giant guns attached to the roofs of them made them look somewhat militaristic. She shook her head. They must have been extremely paranoid over the Subspace invasion to have installed such deadly weapons.

"Coming, Samus?"

The bounty hunter turned. Link and Zelda had clambered into the Blue Falcon already, and Captain Falcon held the door open for her. Samus narrowed her eyes and breezed past him. As she got into the dark interior, Captain Falcon asked, "Isn't it getting a little hot in that suit of yours? Wouldn't you prefer to take it off?"

Samus seethed, and tried to ignore the arrogant racer. The interior of the Blue Falcon was small, but comfortable. The Hylians sat on one side, while Samus sat on the other. It was built heavily, but Samus had seen how fast the race car could go.

"Everyone ready?" Captain Falcon asked. Before he could get a response, he jumped into the driver's seat and pressed hard on the gas pedal. The race car zoomed forwards before the carriages were even fully prepared to leave.

* * *

After a couple hours of silent transportation, the door to the Blue Falcon opened. Samus climbed out after Link and Zelda, looking around. They were once more in the glamorous courtyard of Smash Mansion. It had been five years since she had been there. She was shocked to see that fountains, hosting statues of the heroes of the Subspace Army, had been erected all around the courtyard. She spotted Link and Zelda, but not herself. Her own statue must have been in another area of the courtyard.

Captain Falcon stretched, then took off his helmet. Samus watched him critically. He shook his wavy black hair out of his eyes, then looked back at the universe's best bounty hunter with a half smile. He had no way of telling whether or not she was looking at him, so she continued analyzing him out of the corner of her eye. He was a beautiful man, with a sharp nose, high cheek bones and piercing green eyes. She rarely saw the Captain without his helmet on; perhaps it was for the better.

The two carriages pulled into the courtyard after them. The Toads hopped out of one, following by a few Hylian guards, while Toadsworth, Vivian and the rest clambered out of the other. They quickly lifted the luggage out of the back while Toadsworth and Vivian approached the heroes.

"We've arrived!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Do you like the renovations?"

Zelda nodded. "They're beautiful. Who made them?"

"Master Hand, of course," Toadsworth admitted. "With a little help from the people of Smashville, but mostly by himself. He's got quite a _steady hand_, you see," Toadsworth cracked. He chuckled to himself, but halted immediately when he noticed the four heroes looking at him quizzically. He cleared his throat. "Let's go, shall we?"

As they approached the grand staircase leading up to the magnificent Smash Mansion, the doors opened and Sonic the bright blue hedgehog emerged, followed by a few more Smashville guards and two creatures Samus hadn't seen before.

"Link, Zelda, Captain Falcon and Samus," Sonic addressed with a grin as they approached him. "Welcome back."

Samus had heard that Sonic took ownership of the Smash Mansion when Mario refused it, but she had never understood why. Sonic's contribution to Tabuu's downfall wasn't nearly as significant as Mario's.

"I'm glad to see you again, Sonic," Zelda said calmly, taking Sonic's hand tenderly.

"I'm glad to see you too, Princess," Sonic said with a laugh, bowing deeply. He shook hands with Link, Captain Falcon and Samus, then gestured to the creatures on either side of him. "These are my friends, Tails and Knuckles."

"Hiya!" exclaimed Tails, the small yellow fox. Knuckles, a bright red echidna, nodded in acknowledgement, avoiding eye contact coolly.

"I'm afraid I'm a very busy hedgehog," Sonic admitted. "I can't stay long to chat. We're running a little behind schedule currently… but if you're okay with it, Vivian here can show you to your rooms."

"That'd be great," Link agreed for them, nodding appreciatively.

"Great. Knuckles, do you mind parking Captain Falcon's car in the terminal?"

Knuckles nodded. He walked up the Captain and held out his hand for the keys. Falcon frowned slightly, and reluctantly held them out, dropping them into the echidna's gloved hand. "Be easy with her, alright?" he warned him. Knuckles gave him a degrading look, then began to climb back down the stairs.

"Alright, let's head inside," Sonic said with a grin, turning to re-enter the Mansion.

Suddenly, a loud screech and a wailing siren from behind them made them all turn their heads. A car was driving madly into the courtyard, nearly hitting Zelda's statue. Samus recognized it as a police carriage.

"What the hell…?" Sonic muttered indignantly, brushing past Samus as he began to walk down the stairs.

The carriage sped across the courtyard and stopped between the statues of Mario and Sonic. A policeman hurried out and pulled, from the passenger seat, a nearly unconscious human. This human was taller and more defined; he could not have been from Smash Land. He looked more like Vivian than one of the Smashville guards. He was dressed in torn blue clothing that looked slightly official, but it was so faded it was hard to tell. Most frightening of all, he was soaked to the bone and shaking like crazy. His short hair stuck to his forehead, and Samus could see a deep gash along his hairline. Instinctively, all four heroes and Sonic hurried back down the stairs to help.

"Sonic! Thank goodness!" the policeman shouted when the blue hedgehog appeared by his side. "This man… they found him off the mainland in the Northern Oceans! He was clinging to a broken lifeboat… there were dead bodies with him…" The policeman looked up, frightened. "We think he's from Storm Prison."

All five of them stopped in their tracks. The name meant something to all of them.

"Storm Prison?" Sonic repeated quietly.

The policeman nodded. "We wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused. Said he had to get a message to you."

The Storm Prison guard shook his head, then opened his eyes enough to focus on Sonic's blue face. Sonic bent down, concerned.

"Hey… wake up! It's me, Sonic. Do you have a message for me?" Sonic nearly shouted into the guard's face. His voice was dripping with concern.

The guard muttered something. "What was that?" Sonic asked, panicked. The guard seemed to jump, as though awakening from a nightmare. After a few moments of panting, he managed to speak.

"…Storm… b-break… de-dead…"

"What are you saying?" Sonic gasped.

The guard's eyes focused for a moment. "…th-there… a b-break… Storm Prison…"

"There was a breakout?!" Sonic nearly shouted.

The guard's headed bobbed up and down, nodded. The silence that hung around the heroes was tangible. After another few moments of swallowing and panting insensibly, he managed to mutter a few names. "B-Bowser… Sh-Shadow… Ganon… d-dorf…" the guard's head shook side to side, rattled. "T-tried to… fight… b-but… Bowser… g-g…"

Before the guard could complete his sentence, his eyes rolled back into his head and he began to shake wildly. The silence broke, and everyone began shouting, panicked. The policeman lifted the guard as Sonic shouted up the stairs for the guards to call the hospital. The policeman could not keep hold on the shaking Storm Prison guard. Samus stood back, horrified.

Beside her, Zelda closed her eyes and held out her arm, her palm facing the nearly dead prison guard. "This is dark magic," she sensed. Samus looked at her, bewildered. Zelda then began to mutter a few words, and to Samus' great surprise, a faint blue light began to glow from the prison guard's blank white eyes.

"Zelda's healing magic will stabilize the prison guard," Link told Samus. "He'll be alright."

The guard's shaking stopped, and he seemed to rise from the policeman's arms for a moment. The Toads and Hylian guards, who had all rushed to help, stepped back in wonder. After a moment, the guard sunk back into the policeman's arms as if asleep.

The policeman looked terrified. "Wh-what happened?!"

"He will live," Zelda said quietly. She seemed weaker, as though slightly drained from the use of magic. "He must rest. Give him space."

Everyone backed away even further, and the policeman followed Sonic up the stairs towards the Smash Mansion. Vivian, who looked thoroughly shocked and almost in tears, shakily approached the heroes.

"Perhaps now is the time to show you to your rooms?" she asked, trembling.

* * *

Samus removed her last piece of armour. She was in the very same room she had occupied for the past three competitions. It was on the highest floor, just like she preferred, with a beautiful view over the city of Smashville and out over the farmlands that stretched beyond it. Smash Land truly was a beautiful country. The tall, arching window bathed the room with the afternoon light. The floor was made of dark wood, covered by a fluffy white carpet. The walls were covered in deep red wallpaper with floral designs. The wide, overly sumptuous bed stood opposite of the massive fireplace. Paintings lined the wall, and the ceiling was painted with beautiful murals. Samus never minded the dark interior of her ship, but it was nice to be treated like royalty every once in awhile.

In her arms she took her dismembered Power Suit and carried it towards the massive closet, which was almost the size of her ship's interior. There were two giant glass cases specially installed for her. In one, the Toads had already placed her better suit: the Varia Suit, which was more powerful and deeper in color. She carefully reassembled her Power Suit in the empty glass case and looked up at it with a smile. She had so rarely seen her reflection without it that it seemed to be her own body.

She re-entered her bedroom and strode across to the tall mirror. She faced herself, curious. She had always surprised herself with her beauty; it had never seemed important to her, and as she never really considered herself without her armour, irrelevant. Without the suit, she was a good six inches shorter, but still tall for a female human. Her skin was fair, but her lips glowed bright pink. Her eyes were sharp and calculated. Her blonde hair hung straight and long, reaching her mid-back. She left the mirror and returned in a few minutes with a pair of scissors, uncaringly chopping a few inches off her hair. As she did so, she examined her body. It was toned and feminine, and clad in her Zero-Suit: a blue, form-fitting bodysuit that allowed her to have maximum movement while inside of her Power Suit.

Once her hair was shorter and more conventional, she swept the blonde stubs into her hand and crossed the room to the garbage. As she brushed them off into the metallic can, a shudder ran down her back as she remember the half-drowned prison guard from Storm Prison earlier. He had mentioned a breakout, and from the names he had listen, a massive one.

Ridley, her arch-nemesis – a Space Pirate that Samus had spent many long years hunting down – had been incarcerated there, along several other villains who had assisted the Subspace Army during its invasion. What would it mean if they had escaped?

Immediately, Samus' mind drew to conclusions. The Subspace Army had taken advantage of the large amount of people watching last year's tournament and the collection of the World's greatest heroes together in one spot to unleash their very first Subspace Bomb, which dragged whatever was in its radius into Subspace. It had been very effective. What if the villains were planning the same thing? Or, even worse – what if the Subspace Army was planning on doing the same thing all over again.

How long had it been since the breakout occurred? Only days? Or perhaps weeks? Judging by the appearance of the young guard, it could have been months. During the last invasion, Bowser, Ganondorf and Wario had joined the Army, and had seemingly made a larger, more menacing clone of Ridley that attacked her and her partner, Pikachu. She still wasn't sure what Ridley's connection to the Army was. All she knew that was shortly after the Smash Council was formed and the Subspace War ended, many villains – including Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario, Ridley, Shadow of Mobius and Wolf of Corneria – were incarcerated in Storm Prison. Samus had heard dark rumours about the ocean-surrounded gaol. They held their prisoners in Trophy Form for months on end. Samus wasn't even sure that was possible.

She sighed deeply and crossed to her bed. She hadn't slept very much over the past few weeks. She lied down and rested her head against the pillow, closing her eyes. She easily drifted into an undisturbed, peaceful sleep, only affected by the violent, dark nightmares that crossed her mind as she slumbered.

* * *

Thanks for reading! :3


	4. Chapter Three

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows** - Chapter Three

By Catman

_Mario attend yet another Council Meeting, this time with many more guests. The truth of the breakout at Storm Prison is revealed, leading to more arguements... and more secrets._

* * *

The Conference Room was noisier than Mario had ever seen it. He stood in the doorway with Peach once more, shocked at how many people were attending. Usually the Smash Council meetings were reserved to only the Council, and occasionally guests such as Princess Peach and, more recently, Knuckles and Tails.

At the very end, Sonic was seated as usual. He seemed to be overwhelmed, his fingers interlocking, elbows on the table. His eyes were closed and he rested his face in his hands as though trying to drown out the anxious, heated conversations. Palutena and Tom Nook sat on either side of him, as usual, but Mewtwo nor Master Hand were present. Princess Zelda, looking as radiant as ever in a formal, traditional Hylian gown, was attending, presumably to represent Hyrule. Mario was pleased to see his old friends Captain Falcon, Fox and Kirby also seated, along with Samus, Red the Pokémon Trainer, Ness, and Yoshi.

Mario and Peach sat next to Red. The Pokémon Trainer looked at him and smiled brightly. "Mario! Peach! It's good to see you again." Red shook hands with both of them. He was still young, but had aged and matured lots since Mario had seen him five years ago. His brown hair still stuck up in every direction under his red cap, and six Pokéballs hung around his belt instead of the three he had before.

Mario nodded. "It's good to see you again too, Red."

He looked around the table. Samus was silent, as usual, dressed in her bright orange Power Suit, her arms folded solidly. Fox McCloud, the brave young pilot, sat next to her. He was tall, with dull orange fur covering his entire body. The fox wore a cool Cornerian flight academy vest over his outfit and a headpiece wrapped around his vest. He was deep in conversation with Ness, a mysterious youth with psychic powers. Ness had shot up over the past five years, and was now a young adult, although he still wore his red-and-blue cap over his short black hair. His deep purple eyes glinted in worry as Fox told him about the breakout at Storm Prison. Next to Ness sat Kirby, who was one of Mario's closest friends. Kirby didn't notice Mario walk in, and was intently listening to the others' conversations. He was a bright pink puffball with small pink hands a red feet, shining blue eyes and a wide grin. Mario had known Ness, Fox, Kirby and Samus ever since he had entered the Brawl Tournament for the first time twenty years ago.

On the other side of Mario sat Captain Falcon, the slick racer, and Yoshi, his old friend whom he had seen frequently since the Subspace Army. He hailed from Yoshi Island, which was not too far from the Mushroom Kingdom. Yoshi was a small green dinosaur with orange spikes down his back and bright eyes, like Kirby. On his feet he wore brown boots, and inside of his mouth Mario knew was a long red tongue, handy for swallowing large items and tons of food. Yoshi sat pleasantly in between Captain Falcon and the stunning Zelda as the two discussed the events.

Sonic took a deep breath, and then cleared his throat loudly. Nobody seemed to hear him. He lowered his hands and opened his eyes, irritated. "Hey! Guys!" Sonic shouted. Everyone was still too focused to hear him. Sonic looked very upset and frazzled. Mario began to stand in an attempt to settle everyone down.

"Silence, everyone!" a loud, booming voice echoed from the walls.

Master Hand floated in, resting over the chair at the opposite head. The guests were all quieted very quickly and looked back at Sonic, embarrassed for their lack of respect.

"Thank you, Master Hand," Sonic said with a nod. He turned back to the assortment of fighters around him. Mario could see the deep blue bags under the hedgehog's eyes. He must have been extremely stressed ever since news of the breakout came to Smash Mansion two days ago.

"I know you're all worried about the recent breakout at Storm Prison," he acknowledged patiently. "But we know very little. The Storm Prison guard who came to us a couple days ago is finally stable enough to talk to us. Vivian should be bringing him in soon. Now," he continued swiftly, before any questions could be asked, "I'm sure you're all wondering why you were selected to sit in on the Council today. Each of you represents a nation tied to the Brawl Tournament." As Sonic listed off the names and nations, he nodded to the representatives. "Princess Peach for the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Zelda for Hyrule, Yoshi for Yoshi Island, Captain Douglas Falcon for Eastern Smash Land, Fox McCloud for Corneria, Ness for Eagleland, Kirby for Dream Land, Red for the Pokémon Islands – including Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova – and Samus for the outlying planets aligned with our great planet." Sonic sighed. "I will be representing Mobius as well.

"The purpose of your attendance is to make a decision for your respective nation. When we have heard all the information, you can all make a choice as to whether or not your nation will still be participating in the Brawl Tournament. Given the circumstances, we won't hold it against you if you chose to drop out; in fact, we fully understand. We can't risk the safety of your people." Sonic spoke the words as if he didn't truly mean them. Mario knew he was underestimating the power of the Subspace Army and what it meant to Smash Land.

At that moment, as if on cue, Vivian entered. Mario had seen her around the Smash Mansion ever since he had arrived a week earlier with Peach. She was truly beautiful, all big, glossy eyes and full red lips. He hair was still pulled into a tight bun, but today she wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants, all in black. She pushed a wheelchair in front of her, with a withered, starved-looking man in it. He was conscious, but had black rims around his eyes. His face was sunken, and he looked almost on his deathbed. This must have been the prison guard they had spoken of.

Vivian pushed him to the end of the table, next to Sonic. She stepped back, sinking into the background shyly. The guard still looked dazed, but conscious.

"This is Officer Lief Moby," Sonic introduced. "Officer Moby, we represent Smash Land, and we thank you for coming to talk with us today."

"Of course," Moby coughed. He looked young, but moved as if he were eighty years old. "I'll do whatever I can."

"Can you tell us what happened at Storm Prison?" Sonic asked eagerly.

Moby nodded. He took a deep breath. "There was a massive breakout a few months ago on Storm Prison," Moby informed. "Many of our highest-level prisoners escaped."

"Which prisoners?"

Moby closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Bowser…" Mario shuddered. The Koopa King, his arch-nemesis, had escaped from Storm Prison. It wouldn't be difficult to return him to the gaol once he had found him, after many years of hunting the monster down. But it was what he could do before Mario found him that concerned him.

"…as well as Ganondorf, Shadow, R.O.B., Wolf O'Donnell, Ridley, Wario and Black Shadow."

Everyone at the table seemed to sit up straighter. Each of the escapees had something to do with each of them. Mario looked around, aghast. If this assortment of villains could shake this imperturbable team of heroes, then the threat had to be large.

"How did they escape?" Sonic asked angrily.

Moby attempted to adjust himself in his seat. "What we do at Storm Prison," he began weakly, "is keep our prisoners in Trophy Mode, which is, as you all know, whenever someone is so weak that they are transformed into a trophy until reactivated. Normally a person can only last a few days in trophy mode before they're stuck there forever, unless you work up their stamina. When these villains began their incarceration, we only kept them in Trophy Mode for a day or so, then slowly began stretching out the time. It keeps them weak and keeps them out of the way; it's effective, but cruel. Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario and R.O.B. had reached up to a month in Trophy Mode when the breakout happened.

"We let them out into the yard for a walk after they'd just reached the month mark. We noticed them talking to some other high-risk prisoners, the other four I mentioned, so we kept an eye on them. But they all looked too tired to try anything. That was when this giant storm suddenly came rolling in… none of us had even noticed how dark it had become. The sea was going crazy, and the sky was almost completely black. A thunderbolt hit the top of the tower and a part of it came off. We called all the prisoners back in, hoping no one got hit by the debris, and in the confusion most of us lost track of that high-risk group. When all the others were back in, we noticed that those eight were all just standing there, looking up at the sky. It was like they were listening to something, but we couldn't hear whatever it was…"

Moby shuddered and shut his eyes, as if trying to close off the dark memories. He took a minute to regain this thoughts, as the heroes waited impatiently. Finally, the prison guard opened his eyes again. "One of my buddies, a prison guard, ran out to them, trying to get them to come back in… all of the sudden, this giant hand came crashing down from the sky and grabbed him. I didn't see what happened, but I did see him get chucked into the ocean."

The whole table gasped, and looked down at Master Hand. The resident of Smash Mansion twisted its fingers nervously.

Moby glanced at Master Hand. "No, no, it didn't look like… that," he admitted. "It was grey and it had long fingernails… black fingernails. It was a woman's hand, but… I don't know how…"

Moby went on muttering to himself in confusion. Sonic cut him off.

"Officer Moby, what happened after your friend was thrown into the ocean?" he asked impatiently.

Moby looked up again, his eyes wide. "The hand rested against the island. It was too dark and stormy to see much of the arm attached to the hand. Ganondorf, Wario, Black Shadow, Wolf and Ridley all climbed on to the hand. The hand disappeared back into the dark night with the prisoners on it… and that was how they escaped."

Mario's thoughts ran wild. A giant hand? When the Subspace Army invaded, Tabuu controlled Master Hand to do its will. Was this a similar ploy? Surely something sinister was happening… it was no coincidence that all eight of the highest-risk prisoners at the most cruel prison in the World of Trophies were broken out on the same night. Something was brewing.

"What about Bowser, Shadow and R.O.B.?" Mario asked, shocked.

He was less concerned about Bowser now; at least whatever entity had broken the prisoners out didn't have the Koopa King's vicious mind and endless armies at its disposal. He didn't know Shadow, but had heard of the dark hedgehog from Sonic. He was more worried about the little robot, R.O.B. When the Subspace Army invaded, they had bullied all of the R.O.B.s, who lived on the legendary Isle of Ancients, to work for them and create the deadly Subspace Bombs. Mario's good friend had been forced to work as the Ancient Minister, a mysterious worker of the Subspace Army who distributed the Subspace Bombs around the country. However, R.O.B. soon left the Subspace Army and sided with the rebellion, helping them defeat Tabuu; but when all was said and done, his crimes were too much to protect him from prison. Mario and others, despite wanting to keep the robot out of jail, could do nothing. It filled him with grief, remorse and guilt whenever he imagined the little hero, locked up inside Storm Prison. Maybe now it was free.

Moby looked up at Mario. "They are, to our knowledge, possibly dead," he explained. "We opened fire on the three of them, but somehow they managed to jump off the island. No one has ever left Storm Prison and successfully escaped before; we assume they drowned in the Northern Oceans. But we aren't entirely sure."

The entire table burst into noise. Everyone was shocked, terrified and enraged. Storm Prison, the most secure prison in the known universe, had been breached. This had never been heard of. Mario looked around in shock. Some were speaking to each other, horror in their voices. Others were shouting at Moby with questions; others penalized him for his carelessness. The poor prison guard looked overwhelmed. Sonic was aghast. Surprisingly, it seemed only Mario noticed the radiant Palutena stand stoically and walk around the table, towards the door. Finally Sonic looked up, and stood.

"Lady Palutena! Where are you going?" he called.

The whole table fell silent, as if some spell had been cast upon it. They all turned to look at the Queen of Angel Land. Her long, green hair rippled down her back, flowing although there was no wind. Slowly, she turned to face them. A shiver went down Mario's back. He had never seen the holy Goddess of Light look panicked, but if he ever would it would be that moment. Her face was plain, but there was something readable just on the surface.

"To find solace in solitude," she replied. She made to turn away and depart, but Sonic called after her again.

"But we need you!" His voice was riddled with panic.

She closed her eyes. "I am afraid, Sonic," she explained. "There is only one force strong enough to break the binds of deterioration on a trophy-bound man… but it cannot be. I witnessed its destruction years ago."

Sonic frowned. "Help us, Palutena."

"I cannot." She turned fully to face him. A sense of strength and seriousness replaced her shock and weariness. "The Brawl Tournament cannot, and will not, continue. If the sudden escape of some of the most treacherous villains known to our galaxy is not enough, then the appearance of this force is. If you continue through with your plans, I swear the forces of Angel Land will not stand with you. The danger is too high."

Sonic shook his head sadly. "We can't do that. Almost twenty billion coins were spent to arrange this tournament; how can we throw that all away because of a mere breakout?"

The entire table exploded with outrage, louder than before. Peach gasped, surprised by the sudden shift in atmosphere. People were shouting at Sonic, shouting to each other, some even daring to challenge Palutena. Above all the hubbub, Mario could hear Master Hand's voice shouting as well, although it was too loud for even his voice to be heard. Mario looked at Palutena and flinched away. A dark fury passed over the Goddess' face. The instant he saw it, he felt like escaping her as fast as possible.

"_The Brawl Tournament cannot be affected by these acts of terrorism!"_ Sonic screamed above the noise. _"What message does that show our people, that we can be swayed by a little incident such as this?!"_

_ "The escape of the Dark Lord Ganondorf is no small incident, Sonic!" _Zelda shouted back, lifting from her chair gracefully, but with fury emanating from her. Mario was surprised; he'd never seen the princess so upset.

Mario remained in his seat, quietly watching the rage around him grow to a pitch. Finally, he no longer could stand all of the emotion and power of these magical humans and creatures around him and stood, leaving the Conference Room swiftly. He brushed past Palutena accidently, and thought he saw her turn her head for a moment. Nobody else seemed to notice as he stormed out into the hallway – not even Princess Peach.

The silence was almost deafening after all of the screaming within the Conference Room. Mario, fuming, almost sprinted to the other end of the hallway and threw open the door, revealing another set of stairs. He can climbed these so many times in the past two decades that he barely even thought about it as he ascended. He was so enraged that he didn't even hear someone behind him calling his name.

After awhile of climbing, Mario threw open the set of doors at the top of the stairway. Before him was the top of the tallest tower in Smash Mansion. He took a deep breath, and instantly felt calmer. It was completely open, with a tall pointed roof extending above him. Giant, glassless windows showed a 360 degree view of Smash Land. He could see the ocean in the distance, as well as all of Smashville stretching around the holy palace. He strode forwards and leaned against one of the windows, staring out towards the ocean in the far distance. He thought for a long time, considering everything he had heard.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the doors flew open again. Mario turned, surprised. Standing in the doorway was a man who somewhat resembled him; he was taller and thinner, but had the same overalls and a similar, but sleeker, moustache. His nose was large and big as well, and he had the same wide eyes. However, he wore a green shirt and a green cap emblazoned with the letter 'L'. It was none other than his own brother, Luigi.

"Mario!" Luigi panted, doubling over. Luigi had never been quite as athletic as his brother. Mario hadn't seen his brother in months, ever since Luigi had went on a vacation to Yoshi Island with his girlfriend, Princess Daisy of Sarasaland. He smiled fondly over at his only remaining kin.

"Luigi!" Mario replied, striding over to his brother with open arms. He held his brother in a tight embrace for a moment, before the two returned to the window. Still panting, Luigi leaned against the window, looking out across Smashville.

"Sure is beautiful, isn't it?" he commented. Mario could see the deep crimson flags hanging across the city, emblazoned with the Smash Symbol. Crimson was the color of this year's tournament; the year before, it had been royal blue. He sighed deeply, shaking his head. Luigi looked at him, confused.

"Are you alright, brother?"

"Of course!" Mario exclaimed, waving his hand to assure his brother he was fine. "How was your vacation with Daisy?"

Luigi smiled. "Beautiful! We took a ride on the Daisy Cruise from Mushroom Kingdom to Yoshi's Island… we stayed there for awhile with Yoshi. We got our invitation to the tournament while we were there, actually; not sure how they knew we were going to be there. Then we went to Sarasaland for awhile, met with Daisy's family, you know… then we came back. It was hot." Luigi puffed, recalling the hot sun of Sarasaland. He did look slightly tanned. "How've things been here?"

Mario grimaced. He could not lie to his brother any longer. "Terrible. Absolutely terrible."

Luigi looked shocked. "How? Why?"

Mario shrugged. "There's been a breakout at Storm Prison."

His brother gasped slightly, then rested his hand across his mouth. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking it in. "Bowser?" he asked, as thought he already knew the answer. Mario nodded, and Luigi opened his eyes just in time to see it. The green brother groaned. "Not even the greatest prison in the universe can hold that Koopa back. What can we do, Mario?"

"I think you already know what we can do," Mario said quietly.

Luigi looked down at his brother. "No, Mario… you're not thinking of…?"

"Well, how else can we keep the Princess and the Mushroom Kingdom safe?" Mario exclaimed, facing his brother viciously. "Bowser's committed enough crimes. He can't be held back any more. We have to keep him in Trophy Form for all of eternity. It's the only way that we can be sure he won't cause any more trouble."

"That would kill him, Mario," Luigi said seriously, grabbing his brother's arm. "We can't do that. It's against our way."

Mario pulled away, turning his back to his brother as he strode to the other side of the tower. "If you have a better solution, feel free to share it," he called.

Luigi followed him. "I really don't. But anything has to be better than that. He can't subject him to death; it's the final punishment. It's beyond even what Bowser has done."

Mario nodded. "I know that. But he isn't the only one who escaped." He rubbed his round nose tiredly. "Many others did too. Ganondorf, Wario, Wolf O'Donnell, Ridley… even R.O.B."

Luigi stared at him, shocked. For a few moments, the two shared a silence that settled around them like dust. Like statues, they looked across Smashville, towards the mountains in the far distance. "It's exactly like last time," Luigi finally said. "It's happening again."

"That's what Lady Palutena seems to think," Mario continued. "There was a guard from Storm Prison… he managed to swim his way to the mainland after the huge breakout. He claimed there was some giant hand that destroyed part of the tower, then took some of them away. But Bowser wasn't one of them; he seems to think Bowser, R.O.B. and some hedgehog called Shadow drowned in the ocean. They didn't go with whatever thing carried away the rest of the prison birds."

"A giant hand…?" Luigi questioned.

"I already thought about that," Mario countered. "It can't be Master Hand. Or Crazy Hand, for that matter," he added, thinking about Master Hand's psychopathic twin, whom he hadn't yet seen. "It didn't fit the description. But it definitely sounds like one of Tabuu's tricks."

"But Tabuu is dead!" Luigi exclaimed.

"That's not what Mewtwo seems to think, either," Mario replied tiredly. "When we had the Council Meeting about whether or not the Brawl Tournament would go on, Mewtwo told us something evil was forming. It sounded a look like Tabuu."

Luigi shook his head, exhausted by all of the news. "Is there anything else that happened while I was away?!"

Mario shrugged. "I don't know. I'll tell you if I remember anything."

"When did the breakout happen?" Luigi asked.

"A few months ago, I think."

"Then why the Hell is this the first we've heard of this?!" Luigi demanded.

Mario shrugged again. "There's little to no communication to or from Storm Prison; it's partly what makes it so imperturbable. He didn't explain it, but I think after the evil force took off with Ganondorf and the others, and Bowser and R.O.B. escaped, the guards tried to get word to the mainland… I guess when that didn't work, they tried swimming back to the mainland. I'm guessing only this officer made it here alive."

_"Correct."_

Mario and Luigi gasped. A voice that seemed to come from inside of their heads echoed around. They looked around, then saw Mewtwo resting gently on the window at the other side of the tower. Mario's eyes widened; he had thought Mewtwo had fled Smash Land. The Pokémon floated over to them slowly, looking intense.

_"The breakout occurred almost two months ago. The force destroyed all communication devices from Storm Prison to Smash Land, and ruined the life boats. It was obviously so that the breakout could not be reported. The guards attempted to live at Storm Prison, but when food and other resources were short, some were sent for help. Lief Moby, aged thirty-six, male, of the human race and Hylian heritage, was the only survivor. The prisoners that escaped with this force were Ganondorf of Hyrule, Wario of the Mushroom Kingdom, Wolf O'Donnell of Corneria, Ridley the space pirate and Black Shadow of Port Town. The escapees, whose status is still unknown, are Bowser of the Mushroom Kingdom, Shadow of Mobius and R.O.B. of the Isle of Ancients."_

Mario and Luigi looked up at him, confused. "How do you know this?" Mario demanded.

_"I have my ways,"_ the Pokémon said mysteriously.

It then swooped down, landing on its feet before Mario, only a few inches separating them. Mario did not flinch. Luigi stepped back, shocked. _"You must halt the Smash Council from continuing with the one hundred and thirty-seventh Brawl Tournament," _he warned. _"It can only end in disaster. Marks my words."_

Mario looked back into Mewtwo's eyes, undazed. Then, the Pokémon lifted off into the air once more, and shot away from the tower, towards the ocean. Mario looked after the legendary entity for a moment.

"What just happened…?" Luigi asked, confused and shaking.

Mario tightened his mouth. "The Brawl Tournament can't go on."

* * *

Vivian Blake descended through the corridors of the Smash Mansion, walking swiftly on her high heels. She lowered her head slightly and smiled, her full lips curving upwards into something sinister and foreboding. She pushed open a door, leading to a small office. Without a second thought she pulled out a book from the shelf, and the adjacent bookshelf swung off on hinges. She held the book in front of her as she descended the stone steps that lead downwards to the unknown.

The staircase lead to a little steel door. She lifted her left foot out of her heel and gracefully bent down, snatching a small key card from the sole. She slid it into the door's slot handle and it opened for her, swinging open to reveal a small, dark room. It had no furniture, but various technology had been hastily set up. In the corner of the room, a briefcase was open, revealing a small bomb. It wasn't large enough to even put a crack in the stone wall, but would surely destroy the technology if activating.

The assistant swept forwards, bending down to a small monitor on the floor. She tapped her fingers along it, setting up a message ready to be sent. Clicking one last button on the screen, she bent down further until her red lips were nearly grazing the microphone at the top of the computer.

"The one hundred and thirty-seventh Brawl Tournament will commence," she spoke clearly. "Sonic has convinced the Smash Council and the leaders of Smash Land's associate countries and regions to side with him. I repeat, it will commence."

She tapped the screen again, and sent the voice message. Once it was sent, she threw the card key over to the corner of the room near the bomb. As she carefully climbed back through the steel door, she flipped open a hidden compartment of her right heel, revealing a little button. Once the steel door was securely closed, she pressed the button, and a faint boom told her that the bomb had exploded. With another devilish grin, she ascending the stairs back into the office, carefully replaced the book back into the shelf and left without a trace.

* * *

Thanks for reading! :3


	5. Chapter Four

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows **- Chapter Four

By Catman

_After months of living with the ice climbers Nana and Popo in the chilly eastern mountains, Bowser, Shadow and R.O.B. must decide whether to take their freedom and run, or alert Mario and Sonic of Medusa's intentions. Also, back at Smash Mansion, Tails and Knuckles consider the future of Smash Land._

* * *

The cold eastern regions of Smash Land were mostly covered with tall, frozen mountains. It was an abandoned, inhabitable area, and the closest recognized city was Port Town. It was many miles away from Smashville, and was not much of a concern to the Smash Council. The only known citizens of the eastern mountains were their old friends, the ice climbing duo Nana and Popo.

The two cheerful humans had created a warm, cozy little home nestled between the two tallest mountains. It was high up, where they could see across almost the whole mountain range and beyond. To the east, the ocean stretched out for ages; to the west, the plains. They were alone, but never lonely; for they had each other.

In their little kitchen, the two spun around each other in an elaborate, but natural pattern as they made their dinner. They were perfectly synchronized, and seemed to move and act as if they had one mind. They did not resemble the humans of Smash Land, nor the Hylian humans; they were short and stout, with plain faces and dark eyes. If anything, they resembled the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom, far in the west.

Nana chopped carrots for a stew, her knife lifting and falling deftly. Once she was done, she twirled over to another cutting board and proceeded to prepare other vegetables as Popo lifted the cutting board and swiftly pushed them into a boiling pot. As he did, he looked over at a letter next to the oven, pushed open on top of a small envelope. It was their invitation to the one hundred and thirty-seventh Brawl Tournament. Their reply date had passed weeks ago, and if they were to arrive it would have been at least two days ago. Popo frowned.

A hand rested against his shoulder. He looked over at Nana, who smiled sadly herself. They looked almost identical; the same dark skin and dark brown hair. Hers was much longer, pulled back into a tight braid down her neck, although when they wore their parkas it was hidden. Their winter gear was hung in the corner, along with their signature hammers. Popo looked over at them with regret, before sliding Nana's other chopped vegetables into the pot.

At that moment, the door swung open. A little robot glided through the door, his binocular eyes looking at them brightly and quizzically. Its red metallic arms were empty, making the ice climbers frown. However, two other figures followed it in, each of their hands grasping the legs of some mountain creature.

Bowser growled loudly and fiercely, sneezing into the air. He threw what appeared to be a small fox and a bird of some type onto a little wooden table, then roared in exasperation. Nana, Popo and R.O.B. looked at him calmly. Shadow lifted a mountain goat carcass onto the table next to Bowser's catch, rolling his eyes.

"_Why would anyone ever choose to live up here?!"_ the Koopa King roared ferociously. However, nobody seemed to care. The ice climbers were already bringing the fox back to the oven, where they would prepare it for dinner.

"Do you really expect them to answer, Bowser?" Shadow snapped, his voice cold and cruel. "Just be thankful they took us in." R.O.B. wheeled over to the carcasses and lifted them easily before transporting them over to an ice bucket in the corner.

"We've been here for two months, Shadow!" Bowser roared, glaring down at the black hedgehog. Shadow looked up at him unflinchingly, as challenging and frustrated as the Koopa King was himself. "How much longer do we have to stay here?!"

Shadow exhaled sharply. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what Medusa and the others are planning. I don't know whether we should warn Sonic or not." The black hedgehog crossed over to the little table and sat down, deep in thought. "But we're still criminals… at least in their eyes. Why would they believe us?"

"Maybe they've already heard from Storm Prison. Maybe they're already doing something. Have you thought of _that_, smartypants?!" Bowser challenged.

"I highly doubt that," Shadow argued coldly. "The men at Storm Prison are weak and unintelligent; the only reason why the prison is so secure is because of their methods. I'm willing to bet either the other prisoners have already finished them off, they've run out of resources and have finished themselves off, or they've all perished trying to reach the mainland."

"Surely they must have some way to contact the mainland!" Bowser roared.

Shadow closed his eyes in frustration. "We've had this discussion, Bowser. There is little communication between Storm Prison and Smash Land; and I'm willing to bet Medusa broke all connections when she attacked the tower anyway."

Bowser slumped into a chair as well, his arms crossed. He looked over at the quirky trio of the ice climbers and R.O.B. as they cooked up their dinner. He sighed absent-mindedly while he observed R.O.B. peel apart the fox, a sight too gruesome and bloody for most humans but quite normal for the Koopa King. All three of them had helped him so much over the past two months; but of course, he could never tell them so.

When the trio had landed in the ocean, they were almost separated by the vicious currents of the Northern Ocean. He very well would have drowned if R.O.B.'s metallic claw hadn't scoped him out in the depths of the dark sea and dragged him back. The three drifted for awhile until they miraculously found a half-destroyed life boat that Medusa had clearly freed from the prison. R.O.B. had fixed it and after many days in the ocean, the little robot manoeuvred them back to the mainland. They arrived in Smash Land near the eastern mountains, far enough away from Port Town so they could go unnoticed. They then descended into the mountains, searching for the ice climbers themselves. Bowser had seen the mysterious folk before and knew they lived there; he was certain they would help them.

After a week of wandering in the mountains, feeding on the mysterious mountain animals and sleeping in cold caves, they were found. They were almost dead on their feet, frozen, hungry and sick. Without a second thought – or even a word, for that matter – Nana and Popo took them to their mountain cabin and nursed them back to health. Ever since then they had been staying with them, hunting for them and planning what to do.

Bowser tilted his head. He still wasn't sure whether or not the ice climbers were friends, twins or just family, but the way they moved was mesmerizing. He almost didn't notice Shadow stand quite suddenly.

"I have to go," Shadow said seriously.

"What?" Bowser asked, confused.

"I have to leave," Shadow repeated. "I've been thinking about it for awhile. It's a miracle we escaped from Storm Prison and survived it – all thanks to R.O.B. and the ice climbers –" Shadow nodded to the trio, who had turned to listen in, "but there's nothing left for me in Smash Land. I'm going to return to Mobius; I'll get there on a ship in Port Town."

Bowser stood, shocked. "You can't leave! You've probably got a bounty!"

"As I said," Shadow snapped irritably, "I doubt that Sonic and the Smash Council have even learned of the breakout. I'm certain I'll go unnoticed."

"No, Shadow! Listen," Bowser continued, attempting to lower his voice. He wouldn't get Shadow's help by shouting. Bowser closed his eyes and sighed. "You can't leave just yet. I'm afraid that with everything that happened with Medusa… something's going to happen."

"And how does that concern me?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mobius is far enough away from Smash Land that we wouldn't be affected by whatever plan this Medusa character has."

"That's not what it was like last time," Bowser said quietly.

Nana, Popo and R.O.B. were watching them intently. Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"Last time?" Shadow repeated.

Bowser nodded. He couldn't show Shadow that he was afraid. "Five years ago when Tabuu invaded with the Subspace Army, Smash Land wasn't the only region they were targeting. It was just a starting point."

"And how do you know this?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

"Because I was his accomplice!" Bowser growled angrily. He looked over at R.O.B. The robot stared back, tilting its eyes down in regret. The ice climbers looked between them, as if suddenly remembering the truth. Shadow had the same look. Bowser scratched his arm and avoided eye contact, suddenly ashamed with himself. "We both were," he continued.

After a moment, Shadow sat back down. Bowser followed him. The ice climbers came and sat down too, absent mindedly. R.O.B. stayed at the oven, as though trying to drone them out with the noises of the soup he was cooking.

"At first I didn't know what was happening," Bowser explained. "I was approached by Master Hand… I should have been wary then. It never leaves Smash Mansion. He told me it was time we took back our world from Mario and the others. I was only too happy to help out. Wario, Ganondorf and I all agreed. Master Hand's plan was to keep everyone in trophy form while we brought the world into Subspace. There we would all get the recognition and power we deserved.

"But we quickly found out we were wrong. The Ancient Minister, our assistant who placed the Subspace Bombs around the region, was actually R.O.B., and left us to join sides with Mario's revolution. We followed him once we discovered that Master Hand was actually just a puppet of Tabuu, the Subspace entity who wanted power all for itself. We were all puppets. He wanted to start with Smash Land, then the Mushroom Kingdom, then Dream Land… and eventually the rest of the world." Bowser fixed Shadow with a look. "Even Mobius."

Shadow glared back. "Are you saying Tabuu is behind Medusa?"

Bowser's lip quivered. "I have no idea."

The black hedgehog sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I thought Tabuu was destroyed."

"That's what we thought! But how do we know what this thing can do? He can bring a whole planet and all of its people into its own dimension… whatever it can do, we clearly don't understand. I wouldn't rule it out. And have you realized that not once did Medusa tell us what she planned to do?"

"She said she would help us take back our planet…"

"…just like Tabuu did," Bowser interrupted.

A loud clang from the oven emphasized Bowser's statement. R.O.B. had dropped a spoon into the large pot, clearly rattled and alarmed. Shadow pursed his lips in pity as the little robot served them all soup. Bowser looked down into the little clay bowl and saw that his meat was extra raw, just the way he liked it. He looked over at the robot, who was already in the act of cleaning up.

Its home had been invaded by the Subspace Army first, and all of the robots of the Isle of the Ancients had been enslaved. R.O.B., their leader, was blackmailed into joining them or they would all be destroyed. In shame it disguised itself as the Ancient Minister and was forced to destroy its own people in hopes that the majority would survive. R.O.B. was the only survivor of its people after many Subspace Bombs destroyed the Isle of Ancients during the Subspace War.

"Well then what do you say we do?" Shadow asked, his voice dripping with venom.

Bowser shrugged, gulping down his soup. "We have to find Medusa and the others. We have to stop them."

As the meal progressed, he could feel the dark eyes of the mysterious hedgehog on him. Finally, once Bowser had polished off his bowl of soup, Shadow spoke. "What were you doing in Storm Prison?"

Bowser shrugged. "I guess whatever I did for the Subspace Army was bad enough to land me there, even though I tried to help destroy Tabuu when I found out."

Shadow chuckled. "Storm Prison is for criminals… you, Bowser, are no criminal."

Bowser frowned as R.O.B. rolled over to the table and lifted both Shadow and Bowser's bowls. The ice climbers finished their soup and assisted R.O.B. in cleaning up. The other two remained at the table, thinking nothing of not helping.

"So just how do you think we'll find Medusa?" Shadow asked.

Bowser shrugged again. "I think our best bet is to tell Mario and Sonic. As much as I hate working with that tubby little wannabee," Bowser spat, "we need Mario's help. I'm especially worried about the Brawl Tournament… five years ago, we used it as an opportunity to create as much havoc as possible. All of the universe's heroes were together in one spot… it was a great chance to get as many of 'em out of the way as possible. Unfortunately, we only managed to capture Princess Peach… but we scattered them, anyway."

"So?"

"So Medusa may use the same tactic!" Bowser explained. "It's ingenious. And she has Ganondorf, who knows that strategy well."

Shadow closed his eyes. "So your plan is to travel to Smashville, walking right into the hands of the people who want us incarcerated, and try to warn them of another invasion?"

Bowser nodded. "That's my plan, yes."

"But Bowser, you don't seem to be considering the fact that we're finally free." Shadow leaned closer to him. "Suppose Mario and Sonic don't believe us. What then? They throw us back into prison? I don't know about you, but that place was utter hell for me. It was five years completely put to waste. We managed to escape and now we're safe; what more could we want?"

Bowser shook his head. "But what good will it do if we're free, and suddenly our world is under attack? Everywhere we go could be in danger."

"You're saying that because you believe Tabuu is controlling Medusa, aren't you?" Shadow taunted. "You have no proof of that. We don't even know the power of Medusa; she could be no worry at all."

"I know she's powerful enough to destroy half of Storm Prison and convince some of the most dangerous criminals across the universe to join her, as well as break us free of our trophy bonds," Bowser retorted. "She has power. You can't deny that."

Shadow nodded. "Alright, I'll give you that. Plus with the power of Ganondorf, Wario, Wolf, Black Shadow and Ridley on her side… maybe she is something to be reckoned with." Shadow looked over at the ice climbers. "Nana, Popo, do you have a map of Smash Land?"

They both nodded, and hurried into a small closet just off the kitchen. They returned carrying a large black bag, which they promptly unzipped and extracted a large, folded map from. Shadow thanked them, took it and laid it out on the table. It was old and had clearly been used for many, many years. He, R.O.B. and Bowser all leaned over it to look.

The tall, icy mountains in the east told them immediately where they were. To the direct northwest of them, across a small plain and on a slight peninsula was Port Town. South of Port Town and west of the mountains was a large desert, littered with some ruins. The northern regions were covered with dark, lush jungles, where Bowser knew Donkey Kong and his monkey friends lived. West of the jungles were a small range of mountains, not nearly as icy as the ones they were trapped in now. South of the mountains was a large forest, sparse and light. Then even more west of the mountains was a large lake, and on its shores was Smashville, just on the corner of the map. Bowser sighed. It could take weeks to get to Smashville on foot.

"How long until the tournament begins?" Shadow asked.

Bowser frowned. "It always starts with an exhibition match between two competitors. But I don't know when it is; I've lost track of time, I guess."

Nana twirled back to the counter, suddenly remembering something. She pulled down a little home-made calendar from the wall above the oven and snatched up the invitation. Everyone watched as she handed them politely to Bowser, who looked down at them.

"The exhibition match starts at in exactly one week," he deducted, looking down at the calendar and at the invitation. "That was when we attacked Smashville during the invasion. All of the heroes watch while two compete." He looked up at the ice climbers. "Is there any way for us to get there in time?"

The ice climbers frowned, thinking. Slowly, they began to nod.

Bowser nodded firmly, standing up. "That's that, then. Tomorrow morning at daybreak, we set out for Smashville."

Shadow watched the Koopa King cross the kitchen slowly, headed towards the small bedroom that the ice climbers had given him. The door slammed shut behind them. R.O.B. wheeled back over to the sink to continue washing dishes, while the ice climbers excitedly began preparing for their trek.

The black hedgehog had absolutely no idea what he was getting into. Five years ago, he would have escaped as fast as possible. But maybe the gnawing fear inside of him when he thought of Medusa was getting to him. He didn't want to admit it, but he was terrified. And Bowser was right; if they didn't stop her, who knew what she could accomplish?

* * *

Smash Mansion was quiet that day. Tails hovered about the glorious, light-filled temple, lonely and homesick. He missed the happy, smiling faces of Amy Rose and his other friends, and both Sonic and Knuckles had been too busy to spend much time with him. All of the competitors in the Brawl Tournament were probably preparing themselves for training; during the week leading up to the exhibition match, each competitor had to participate in daily training sessions. At the end of the week they would be ranked and matched up, as well as two of them chosen for the exhibition match. Tails had understood that much from the frequent, and boring, Smash Council meetings he had attended.

As Tails hovered up the stairs, his twin tails spinning wildly like a propeller, he noticed Knuckles walking past the Council Room. Excited, Tails dropped to his feet and ran towards him. "Knuckles!" he called. The echidna backed up, looking down the stairs with boredom.

"What?" Knuckles asked lazily.

Tails stopped right before one of his two closest friends. "What's up?"

Knuckles shrugged, and continued walking. "Nothing, really."

Tails followed him closely. The bright red echidna seemed to be headed towards the other side of the second floor. "Where's Sonic? Haven't you been helping him lately?"

"He's been giving me shit lately," Knuckles said coolly, as though it didn't bother him. Tails, however, could tell when his friend was irritated. As they walked towards a door directly opposite of the Council Room at the other end of the hall, Tails stayed silent. He could tell that his friend was deep in thought.

Knuckles pushed open the doors, which lead to a winding stairway. Tails had never been up here. He floated up quickly, just behind Knuckles. After a short while of climbing, they reached another door, which Knuckles pushed open as well. The small fox looked around in wonder. They were at the top of what seemed to be the tallest tower in Smash Mansion. It featured a three hundred and sixty degree of Smashville. The air was crisp and cool around him. Beautiful mosaic tiles created the floor and a domed ceiling featured more beautiful murals. Stone benches and little statues served as features for them.

"How did you find this place out, Knuckles?" Tails asked.

Knuckles looked over at him coolly. "When Mario left the Smash Council meeting, I followed him and his brother up here to spy on them. They were talking with Mewtwo."

"The Pokémon?" Tails asked.

Knuckles nodded. "He seemed certain that the Brawl Tournament will end in disaster."

"What do you think?"

Knuckles didn't seem to hear him. The two stood in silence, leaning against the tall windows. Finally, Knuckles spoke. "Shadow has escaped from Storm Prison," he said.

Tails nodded. "I know that. You're not still worried, are you?"

The echidna shrugged, furrowing his brow. "I'm… wary. Ever since Sonic came here, it's like he's intent on connecting these two countries as much as possible. He's barely returned to Mobius. But I don't see how they can create such a close union when they're so far away… it doesn't make sense to me. And why would they select someone who's barely seen half of their country to lead their government?" He shook his head. "It just doesn't add up."

Tails shrugged. "Well…"

"And I'm angry that he decided to lock Shadow in Storm Prison," Knuckles interrupted. Tails frowned. Knuckles had said these things before to him, ever since they had heard about Shadow's escape. "How could they be so foolish? After only five years, he's gone. It's typical Shadow." Knuckles shook his head. "If I had any sense, I wouldn't have left Rouge to protect the Chaos Emeralds. I bet Shadow's headed back there now just to get them for himself. I'm such an idiot."

"No you're not!" Tails assured. "Look, we can trust Rouge now, can't we? Now that you two are together, she wouldn't dare touch the Emeralds."

"Of course not," Shadow snapped. "But what if Shadow returns? Will she be able to resist him?"

The little fox frowned again. "Is this about the Emeralds? Or Rouge being so far away?"

Knuckles sighed and turned around, closing his eyes. "I just want to return to Mobius," he admitted. "I'm afraid of what Shadow will do. But Sonic doesn't seem to care; all he wants to do is focus on this stupid tournament."

Tails nodded. "I've noticed that too. Sonic's been acting strange, don't you think?"

Knuckles nodded. "Why is he so intent on putting on this tournament?"

"I just think he likes the attention. Like you said, Mobius is too far away from all the other countries; now that we're joined in, I think maybe Sonic feels like he's been missing out. He just wants to impress the other heroes and bring back Smash Land's glory, I think."

Knuckles snorted. "Like the pretentious little hedgehog he is, I guess."

Tails nodded. "I doubt that Smash Land will like this tournament, anyway. So many people have decided to drop out for their own safety. I mean, Pit was enough, but now even Mario, Peach and Luigi think that it's too dangerous."

The two stood in silence. Something foreboding seemed to be coming. Perhaps Mewtwo, Palutena and now Mario were right: danger was headed their way. The echidna and the fox stared out towards the mountains, wondering what was to come and where they would fit when it all happened.

* * *

Thanks for reading! :3


	6. Chapter Five

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows **- Chapter Five

By Catman

***Hey everyone (or really anyone who's still reading this), I'm really sorry that it's taking so long for things to pick up, but it'll get exciting soon, I promise. There's just some more set-up that needs to be laid down before the action begins. Thanks again for sticking with it!***

_The competitors, including the thoughtful, watchfui Ness, prepare for the long week of training ahead of them under the instruction of Corinne Jones, a tough fighting veteran. Later, Mario confronts Sonic - once again - who offers him an ultimatum._

* * *

"Alright, competitors. Huddle up."

Ness looked up. He and the other twenty-one competitors of the one hundred and thirty-seventh Brawl Tournament had met in the Training Grounds, a state-of-the-art facility built in the basements of the Smash Mansion specifically for this purpose. For one week, he would be tested and assessed, then placed in a bracket based on his performance. They were assembled in a long, narrow corridor lined with glass that overlooked a long, gymnasium-type room below them. It was filled with strange simulators, equipment and other things for them to prepare with. The room itself was beautiful; tall windows projected calming sceneries so the trainers wouldn't get antsy so far underground. Ness had been here many times before.

Striding towards them was a tall, muscular woman. Master Hand and Vivian Blake strode along behind her, attempting to keep up with her long strides. The woman climbed up onto a wooden bench with ease, overlooking the small crowd. She had dark skin and short-cropped black hair that kept out of her face. She wore a tight grey bodysuit that emphasized her perfectly sculpted physique. Every aspect of her and her uniform explained that she wasn't one for style or appearance; she had a purpose. Ness could have considered her pretty, if that was an option. It was none other than Corinne Jones, their trainer and a hero of Smash Land's own. She had only been hired the previous year, and was quite adept at combat and training itself, but a few fighters still had hard feelings for her: during the Subspace Invasion, she took off and hid in Dream Land until the war was over. Still, Ness admired her sense of self-preservation if anything.

"Veterans from the previous Brawl Tournament will already know me, but I see a few new faces here," she declared, looking out at the small crowd. "My name is Corinne Jones. I'm going to be training you during the week leading up to the tournament, and will ultimately be key in sorting you into your brackets for the competition itself. So be nice," she added with a wink. Nobody laughed or even so much as smiled.

Corinne's face dropped. Ness looked around discreetly, and saw that many people had dark looks on their faces – particularly Princess Zelda, Link, Fox, Red, Captain Falcon, and the two warriors Ike and Marth, who hailed from distant lands. Corinne looked over at Master Hand, who stayed quiet. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry if any of you have any hard feelings left over from the last tournament," she said quietly, avoiding looking at any of the competitors. "You must understand that we all had to do what we could to survive." She looked across the crowd again. "Where are Mario, Luigi and Peach?"

"Considering the events of the last tournament," Princess Zelda spoke up, stepping forward, "the three have decided to step out of the tournament." Zelda's face was fierce and challenging. Ness had known her for many years; she appearance controlled and formal usually, but could be extremely defiant, proud and fiery when provoked. She always had a strong sense of pride, which Corinne had clearly not lived up to in the princess' eyes.

Corinne swallowed. "Of course not. I understand fully." She looked down at Vivian pointedly. The secretary caught on slowly, then hustled to retrieve something from a large black bag she kept at her side. She withdrew a small clipboard and handed it to the trainer, who tapped her foot anxiously. Corinne lifted it.

"Alright, let's do an attendance check," she said with a sigh. "Aran, Samus?"

The heavily-suited bounty hunter stepped forward. Her suit was shiny and strong. Corinne nodded. "King Dedede, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong?" The three stepped forward. The former was a resident of Dream Land, which Ness had begun to realize was full of peculiar creatures and people. King Dedede was no exception. The large blue penguin wore a large red coat over decadent, clown-like royal clothing with a cap that resembled a crown. His long yellow flippers were completely round, and all it did to move was waddle. Still, the makeshift King was threatening, with his large barrel hammer slung over his shoulder. Donkey Kong was no less terrifying, particularly to the tiny Ness. He was no more and no less than a giant, brown-furred gorilla, with a long, pale face and giant hands. Around its neck was a bright red tie with the letters "DK" sewn on. Next to the gorilla was his own pal, Diddy Kong. Diddy was much smaller than Donkey Kong, but just as fierce. The chimp wore a red cap on his head and a red shirt, both with mysterious symbols and logos emblazoned on them haphazardly. They all raised their hands or nodded to the trainer, who marked them down.

Some of the competitors Ness had known for years – such as Captain Falcon, Princess Zelda, Link, Yoshi, Red, Pikachu, Fox and Kirby. Others he knew, but not too well. He was still intrigued by the mysterious warriors Ike and Marth, who raised their swords valiantly to signify their presence. Ike was tall and muscular, with a torn red cap and old warrior's garb. He wore a band around his head, just below his spiked blue hair. His sword looked heavy, the blade made of glistening gold and the hilt large and metallic. Marth was slightly smaller, but the same ferocity blazed in his eyes. Ness knew that Marth was a prince, and it radiated off his body like heat. While Ike was more mysterious and rugged, Marth was shining and brave. The prince wore a large shoulder piece, off which draped a long red robe. He was wrapped in dark blue royalty garb. His hair, like Ike's, was blue, but it was longer and hung straight around his face. His sword was slimmer and sharper, the hilt embedded with precious jewels.

Ness' attention was broken when Jigglypuff's name was called, and the little Pokémon bumped him aside rudely to stride forward. Sometimes, from behind, Ness had trouble distinguishing Jigglypuff from Kirby, although he would never tell either that. Jigglypuff was a little, round pink puffball like Kirby, but being a Pokémon, Jigglypuff had mysterious powers completely unknown to him. A large tuft of pink fur hung in front of the Pokémon's wide, teal eyes. He still didn't completely trust the Pokémon after a fight they had had during a tournament many years ago, when he was lulled to sleep by the Jigglypuff's singing attack – and subsequently doodled on with a black marker. He hadn't been able to get the scribbling off for days.

Another mystery to him was Meta Knight, Kirby's rival. He knew that the Dream Land warrior was tough, but he didn't think he was altogether evil like Bowser or Ganondorf. Meta Knight resembled Kirby in a way, although Meta Knight was larger and was tinted dark blue. He was still round and puffy, but wore a fierce steel mask that only showed his yellow eyes, and had a long purple cape that fluttered behind him. Shoulder armour, gloves and a spiked golden sword made him quite the opponent in fights.

The final five whose names were yet to be called stood just behind Ness. One was Falco Lombardi, a falcon and Fox's best friend and an agile, skilled fighter as well as pilot. He had sleek, dark blue feathers covering his body, and his wings were crossed over his chest. He wore a pilot's uniform, like Fox, with a strange headpiece and a microphone near his sharp beak. Beside Falco was Solid Snake, who intimidated Ness greatly. He was a human, like Ness, but looked much different, and had to hail from a distant land. Snake was tall and muscular like Ike, but wore tight-fitting, agile clothing that allowed moving freely, and had many weapons draped around his belt and chest at his disposal. Like Ike, he wore a headband just below his spiky brown hair. Beside Snake was Captain Olimar, who didn't scare Ness in the least. The bumbling space captain was as short as Ness, with a large, round head, small eyes and big, pointed ears. He wore a spacesuit everywhere, although Ness was fairly sure he, as a human, could survive on Smash Land. A tall antenna extended from Olimar's helmet, which would call Olimar's friends – and fighters – the Pikmin to him.

Just behind Olimar was Mr. Game & Watch. Out of every competitor, the strange, two-dimensional man confused him the most. Mr. Game & Watch moved like an animation, glitchy and twitchy. If one looked at him from the wrong direction, he could disappear, as he was as flat as paper. A shiver ran up Ness' back. The mysterious little man creeped him out.

"And lastly… Sonic the Hedgehog, of Mobius," Corinne called out.

Sonic stepped forwards, raising a hand. "I'm here."

Corinne handed the clipboard back to Vivian and clapped her hands together. "Alright. I'm disappointed to hear about the absences of Mario, Luigi, Peach, the ice climbers, Pit, and Lucario, but I understand that they may not support this tournament. We'll have to go on without them. Let's commence training, shall we?"

* * *

In a few minutes, they had all regrouped in the training area below. In the middle of the workout area, there was a large, nondescript fighting area. Ness had never seen it there before. He looked around at the two doors that lead into the workout area. Two guards stood at each door, with large, dangerous looking weaponry at the ready. It had to be related to the extra security that Sonic had promised the competitors if they agreed to compete. Corinne stood in the very centre of the fighting area as though they were not there, her hands on her hips.

"Alright, everyone," she said with another sigh, "this is the new battle simulator that the Smash Council has graciously funded for us. I could explain how it works, but I think it'd be better if I showed you, wouldn't it?" Corinne's eyes flashed towards Ness. "Would you like to assist me in the demonstration, Ness?"

Ness nodded shyly, and stepped forwards. There was a slight slope leading down into the fighting area. He turned and faced Corinne in the very centre, feeling the eyes of all the other competitors on him. Corinne smiled playfully, then nodded towards Vivian, who stood at the end behind Ness. "Start 'er up."

The ground seemed to fall beneath Ness for a moment, in his confusion, he screamed out as the world appeared black around him. The ground suddenly appeared below him, and he fell on his back, the breath knocked out of him. He could hear slight chuckles around him, and he opened his eyes in embarrassment. However, the moment that he did he wished he hadn't.

He screamed once more, leaping to his feet. He was at the very top of a mountain. A storm raged around him, and storm clouds whirled around below him. He inched away from the side of the mountain, only to discover that he was completely surrounded by deep slopes. He was on the very peak. A breeze as cold as ice hit his bare arms, chilling him thoroughly. How could he possibly be there?!

A gust of wind blew away a dense cloud in front of him, revealing Corinne, standing on another peak before him. She was smiling viciously once more, crouched down like a dog ready to attack. Ness gasped as she flew into the air towards him, prepared to attack.

Ness leapt out of the way, screaming as he began to fall down the mountain. To his relief, there was a rocky ledge waiting for him. He fell on his back again, and could hear more chuckling. His brain began working once again as he looked up and could see no one. Then, as if it were someone else's thoughts, it all made sense to him.

_I'm in a simulator,_ he thought. _It's mimicking a mountain range area. They can see us fighting, but I can't see them… _He looked down the slope, and could see nothing. With a half-smile, he leapt down, but only landed on another ledge. _Clever!_

He looked around. There was nothing but stormy clouds surrounding him. The mountain ledge that he had jumped down from completely disappeared; it was like he was back on the peak that he had come from. Corinne was waiting for attack; but from where?

He closed his eyes and focused intently, then bent over and crossed his wrists. "PK Thunder!" he shouted loudly, his voice echoing around the snowy mountain range. He felt an electric shock pulsate from his body, and his sight was returned to him, even though his eyes were closed. He could see through the pulsing electric current that he had produced from his body. He could see other peaks and slopes, and storm clouds blowing snow that really wasn't there. And then he saw Corinne, crouching on a rock.

He opened his eyes as a loud yelp echoed around the mountain. Corinne flew towards him, electricity still twitched about her stunned body. Ness smiled, and he could hear slight laughter coming from the spectators of their fight. "PK Fire!" Ness shouted, holding his hands together in front of him. A burst of flames shout out from his palms towards Corinne, throwing her backwards. She began to tumble down the slope. Ness leapt from the peak, falling down after her.

Corinne landed heavily on the rock, but rolled out of the way just in time; Ness landed a second later, his bright yellow yo-yo sticking into the frozen rock. The trainer grinned at the competitor, then slid into a crouch and deftly swung her leg around in a circle, knocking the PSI-powered kid's legs from under him. Ness shouted in panic as he was thrown off the ledge, still holding onto the string of his yo-yo. Corinne straightened up, grinning.

Suddenly, Ness leapt back up to the ledge, flicking around the string of his yo-yo expertly. The moment his feet touched the rocky mountain ledge the yo-yo detached itself from the ground, swinging towards Corinne dangerous. It hit her square in the side of the head, making her stumble slightly. More laughter came from the other competitors.

"PK Fire!" Ness shouted again, throwing a column of fire at his trainer. She was thrown back off the ledge. Ness doubled over once again, crossing his wrists and closing his eyes. "PK Thunder!" The ball of electricity followed Corinne down the slope, finding her easily in the snowstorm. A flash of bright light and a loud noise, somewhere between a dinosaur stomping the earth and a crackling fire, told Ness that he had won.

He was thrust, once again, into complete darkness, as thought someone had blocked out the sun. A moment of weightlessness returned to him, but unlike before, he kept his balance and only stumbled a little when his feet touched ground again. He looked around and found himself once again in the nondescript fighting area. All of the competitors clapped politely. Even Vivian cheered a little, and Master Hand snapped his fingers appreciatively. Ness looked over to find Corinne lying on the ground, rubbing her head. However, before he could help her up she was on her feet, smiling.

"Well done, Ness," she said, holding out her hand. He took it and shook it politely. "I definitely underestimated your skill. You are definitely extremely talented." She shook her head at her own mistake. "I should have known; you've been here four times before, haven't you?"

"It's alright," Ness said with a grin. "You did well yourself."

Corinne turned to the others. "Who would like to try out this incredible simulator?"

* * *

Ness watched, wide-eyed, as Princess Zelda and Diddy Kong stood before each other, like Ness and Corinne had a few moments ago. Corinne raised her hand towards Vivian, but before the assistant could start up the simulator, Zelda spoke up.

"Wait!" she said loudly. Everyone watched her quizzically. She lifted her hand daintily and spun around, suddenly encased in a bright white light. Ness nodded his head, familiar with this tactic. What emerged from the white light was not the elegant, beautiful princess he knew; it was a young man, similar in proportions to the princess essentially, but dressed drastically differently. He was wrapped in tight-fitting, dark blue clothing, with ripped cloth and over materials wrapped around his limbs. A mysterious symbol was painted onto the front of his warrior-like garb. A circle of cloth, wrapped around his face, covered everything but his sharp red eyes. Sharp, blond hair jutted out from under his cap. Everything about this mysterious fighter breathed mystery and agility, although somehow it still had the elegance of Princess Zelda. It was Sheik, Zelda's alter ego; an imprint of herself projected into another body.

Corinne nodded. "Alright then. Diddy Kong… versus Sheik."

She nodded to Vivian once more, who fiddled around with a computer screen at Sheik's end. In that instant, lasers extended over the fighting arena, and a pale blue, shimmering screen protected them from the simulator within. To Ness' awe, for a moment the gravity within the area seemed to have disappeared. Diddy Kong screeched in fear, but Sheik kept her balance, prepared to land. When the gravity returned, Diddy Kong fell over, much like Ness, while Sheik landed with perfect agility and balance.

Projected translucently upon the blue screen was a volcano landscape. If one did not focus too hard on the screen, it would look like the interior of the area had been completely transformed into a volcano. However, past the screen, Ness could see that the floor of the area has risen in different areas, replicating the steep slopes and tall peaks of the volcano. Sheik and Diddy Kong looked around, amazed. Diddy Kong poked at the side of the volcano, then suddenly slipped off the edge.

With another long wail, he fell. But instead of merely falling a few feet like the interior of the battlefield suggested, the floor seemed to sink down, replicating the distance between the peak that the chimp was standing on and the ledge he fell onto. Ness' mouth opened in awe. It was perfectly replicating the proper landscape.

Sheik looked over at Diddy Kong's peak in slight confusion, but if he was confused at all it was swiftly disguised. He shot her right hand out and a long chain extended from his sleeve. It grappled onto Diddy's peak and dragged him along with it, so that he landed swiftly onto it. He looked down at Diddy, who stood dazed on the lower ledge, and leapt down. Diddy shrieked and moved out of the way, just like Corinne had when Ness dropped down from the peak as well.

Sheik kicked up his leg to throw Diddy off the cliff, but the chimp grabbed her leg and deflected the attack. For a few moments, the two were caught in a wild, close-combat brawl; Sheik's arms and legs expertly cut through the air, while Diddy's limps – and his tail – flailed about, deflecting every attack. As they fought, the floor slowly began to rise. Ness recognized that it was probably in preparation for a fighter to fall; if they did, the other sections of the floor would not have to extend so far down.

Finally, after an expertly thrown punch right at Diddy's face, the chimp's tail shot out and managed to grab on to Sheik's wrist. Diddy Kong flailed his tail around and the princess' alter-ego was thrashed around, hitting the side of the rock ledge and dangling over the ledge. A few of the competitors around Ness laughed, including Sonic. Link cracked his knuckles.

After a few moments of this, Sheik grabbed Diddy's tail with his other hand and managed to get his feet on the ground. Then it was Diddy's turn to be thrown about in circles. Diddy wailed until Sheik let the little chimp fly into the air – but not for too long. Sheik's chain grapple flew into the air once more and grabbed onto the chimp's arm, dragging him back down. The ninja attacked Diddy with a flurry of vicious kicks and punches, slowly guiding him to the edge. Donkey Kong wailed, pounding his chest ferociously.

Diddy screeched again, and jumped off the edge. Sheik looked shocked, backing away. As the floor caved in below Diddy, the little chimp expertly pulled a little string hanging from his t-shirt as he fell. In an instant, two giant barrels inflated on his back and made a loud, fiery noise. Ness almost laughed as Diddy flew back up, past the ledge and towards the peak once more. It was Diddy's infamous, ingenious barrel-style jetpack. Sheik crouched down again as Diddy screeched with laughter, soaring high into the air.

The ninja leapt into the air after him, but Diddy unleashed yet another gadget: his peanut guns. One in each hand, the chimp unleashed a fury of peanut shells at Sheik, who was pushed back down to the ledge. Diddy Kong flew back up the peak with ease as Sheik landed on the ledge heavily. In a flash, he was back up, and grappling towards the peak.

Ness and several other competitors were distracted when the doors opened to the training area. The guards shouted loudly, pointing their guns at the ajar doors. Diddy Kong, unable to see anything but hearing everything, looked around in confusion. It was a vital mistake, as Sheik pulled him off the peak with a well-placed roundhouse kick.

Ness turned around. A bright red echidna, followed by a small fox, were walking through the door. They lifted their hands in defense, speaking in quiet, fierce voices with the guards. Sonic detached himself from the group to go and negotiate with them. The little Eagleland civilian continued to watch them with curiosity, until finally they were allowed in. Following the echidna and fox, whom Ness knew as Sonic's friends Knuckles and Fox, were Mario, Peach and Luigi.

Ness grinned brightly. He'd barely had any time to spend with Mario, which he missed sorely. The three all looked so serious and discontent, however; it seemed everyone did. This year's tournament wasn't filled with nearly as much laughter and joy as it was the past few tournaments.

The trio from the Mushroom Kingdom approached the group, who all moved aside as they approached. Mario looked at Sheik and Diddy Kong's battle with a face as stony and unreadable as ever. Ness looked up at him timidly. This was not the Mario that he had once known. He was deep in thought, and whatever he was thinking about was not a good sign.

Everyone seemed to be more focused on Mario than the battle before them. Sheik had the upper hand; it seemed like Diddy Kong was slowing down. They were back on the peak, fighting hand-to-hand. Finally, Diddy Kong was sent flying off the peak, and Sheik reached back into a strange sheath-like container hanging at her side. From it she withdrew a handful of long, sharp needles that she held between her fingers in a fist. In a flash, she sent them flying at Diddy Kong, who yelped in pain. The needles shattered against his body, sending him flying. Another loud noise and a giant flash told them the battle was over.

The simulator shut down. Sheik landed on his feet once again, then twirled around expertly. When Diddy Kong sat up, shaking his head, the elegant, white-gloved hand of Princess Zelda was held out before him, ready to assist him up. The little chimp took it and shook her hand, clearly slightly embarrassed.

"Sonic, may I speak with you for a moment?" Mario asked quietly. Only Ness could hear, and only because he was directly next to them.

Sonic gave him a look. "Maybe after lunch," he said firmly.

Corinne detached from the group. "Alright, it's lunch time. We'll meet back here in an hour and get right back into it. I want you all to try this out, alright?" She clapped her hands together. "Get moving, competitors."

* * *

The lunch hall was almost as massive as the main hall of Smash Mansion, and almost as glamorous. It had high ceilings and sumptuous carpets, with tall windows draped with long curtains. Round tables of varying sizes were set up across the hall. One long table at the very end was piled with food from many different regions across the world. All of the competitors lined up. A few moments later, the doors opened once again and all of the other inhabitants of Smash Mansion joined the lineup. Ness looked back and waved to his closest friend Lucas, who was at the very back.

Once Ness got his food, he sat at a small table near a window, saving a spot for Lucas. He lifted his sandwich and discreetly watched the other competitors. They all looked so focused and intent; it wasn't like them. Ness had even shocked himself by sitting at a small table all by himself; any other year, he would have sat with all of the other heroes.

Link and Zelda sat at a table near to theirs. They were eating mysterious vegetables and strange meat that Ness had never seen before. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong and Yoshi were joined by two other strange creatures: a young, feminine chimp that looked somewhat like Diddy Kong, and a bright pink creature that resembled Yoshi with a horn-like nose. A big red bow sat at the top of her head as she inhaled her food through her horn.

Samus was sitting on her own, the front section of her mask opened up so she could eat. As he watched, Captain Falcon carried his food over to her and asked to sit down. Ness could vaguely hear her say something offensive, but he sat down anyway. Captain Olimar soon joined them, his plate laden with strangely colored carrots.

Pikachu, Red, Jigglypuff, Fox and Falco all sat together as well. Jigglypuff and Pikachu ate away at their food without matters, not caring. Falco looked at them, puzzled, as though he'd never seen Pokémon before. Meta Knight, Marth and Ike all sat together, eating without a word. King Dedede, Kirby, Tails, Vivian, Corinne and Sonic all sat down together. They seemed to be the most joyful table there, even though they weren't even speaking all that much. Snake sat in a corner on his own, not paying attention to anyone specifically. Master Hand hadn't joined them, and Mario, Peach, Luigi and another princess with brown hair and an orange dress were making their way towards Donkey Kong's table.

Lucas sat down across from Ness. "Is something wrong?" the blond youth asked.

Ness looked up at his best friend's face. Lucas was aging as well, although he still looked quite young to him. He had bright blue eyes and blond hair that swirled up to a point. He wore a striped t-shirt and denim pants. Like Ness, he had gotten a sandwich and milk in a carton. Ness always enjoyed the time he spent with Lucas; it reminded him not to overthink things.

"Yes, I'm okay," Ness said with a grin, lifting his milk carton. As he drank, Mario stood from his table and approached Sonic.

"I'd like a word," the Mushroom Kingdom hero said quietly to the hedgehog. Sonic fixed him with the same look as he'd had in the training area, before slowly getting to his feet and following him out of the dining hall.

* * *

"What do you want, Mario?" Sonic asked once they were out of the room.

Mario waited until Sonic had stopped and was facing him completely. "I'm only going to say this one more time," Mario said slowly. "You have to stop the tournament from happening."

Sonic closed his eyes in frustration. "You know, the funny thing is, Mario, I knew that was what you were going to say. Perhaps it's because you've been saying it ever since I decided that we _will continue with our original plans_." Sonic enunciated the last words specifically, as though trying to drill them into Mario's head.

"You're not listening to me!" Mario almost shouted. "This is a mistake! I don't know why yet. But Mewtwo has never been wrong before. You know as well as I do that he knows things that we don't; that's why he's on the Council. We must listen to him, Sonic!"

"I won't listen to him," Sonic said firmly. "I've told you before. You're all being completely ridiculous and paranoid. Look, Mario!" Sonic shouted right back, pointing towards the doors to the dining hall. "Do you really think that you and Mewtwo are both so much wiser than all of these people within these halls? They all disagree with you. You're wrong, Mario."

"Palutena agrees with me," Mario argued. "Will you say she's not wiser than all of them?"

Sonic crossed his arms. "It's probable that she isn't."

Before Mario could open his mouth to speak again, Sonic cut him off sharply. "I don't know how many times we've argued over this, Mario; the Brawl Tournament will go on, no matter what you, or Palutena, or Mewtwo say."

"You said it yourself! We need Palutena!" Mario growled. "Because of you and your foolish decisions, she's gone back to Angel Land."

"And why haven't you done the same?" Sonic challenged.

"I'm here to make sure you don't make any more dangerous decisions, and to protect my friends!" Mario responded as coldly. "You and I both know you don't belong here, Sonic. Perhaps it's time you go home."

"The second you turned down the title of Smash Council Head, it went to me," Sonic recalled. "You have no authority over me. You're just a little man from the Mushroom Kingdom now." Sonic stood over Mario, straightening up so that he, despite their almost identical height, looked taller. "This is final. If you attempt to disturb our plans one more time, I'll have you, the Princess, your brother and his girlfriend kicked off the grounds."

Sonic moved around Mario, hitting the red hero's shoulder as he passed by him. Mario stood in the hallway for a few moments, at a complete loss of what to do. Instead of returning to the dining hall to complete his lunch, he chose to wander about the mansion. Every doorway that he passed he saw guards flanking them, holding large weapons, prepared to defend the fighters.

_Ridiculous_, Mario thought as he glanced at one of them. _If anything, we should be the ones protecting them._ The guards must have heard Sonic and Mario's heated argument, as they all glared at the Mushroom Kingdom hero as he passed. He imagined they all supported the Brawl Tournament as well; if they didn't, they would not have a job.

All of this extra protection would never hold up against another invasion. Tabuu's limitless army would pull them apart; even Bowser's mercenaries could easy overthrow them.

But maybe he was wrong. What were the odds that anything could happen two years in a row? If Tabuu and the Subspace Army were still thriving, why would they wait five years to resurface? And why would they attack at the Tournament like they had five years ago? They would have to know how seriously it was being taken that year.

_Because it still reunites all of the universe's most powerful fighters,_ Mario's thoughts tried to justify. _It's the only time when we're all in the same place. It's an ingenious plan; that's why they would take advantage of it._

And the giant breakout at Storm Prison was enough. If the threat of Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario, Shadow, Ridley and others wasn't enough, then the giant hand was. It was too much of a coincidence, especially with both Palutena and Mewtwo's bad premonitions.

It couldn't be good. Now Mario had a choice: stay and protect his friends, or leave and save himself when it inevitably fell apart again?

* * *

Thanks for reading! :3


	7. Chapter Six

**Super Smash Bros. Shadows **- Chapter Six

By Catman

_There's only one more day until the Opening Parade and the Exhibition Match of the 137th Brawl Tournament, and the competitors are preparing - namely Samus, Ness, Falco and Luigi. Meanwhile, Mewtwo makes one last effort to shut down the Tournament - with a little help._

* * *

Samus woke up, once again, with a jolt. She sat up too quickly in alarm, giving herself a head rush. When her eyes adjusted to the bright lights around her, she looked around, and once more found herself in her grand bedroom in Smash Mansion. She cussed quietly, rubbing her head. Every night had been filled with nightmares since she'd returned to Smash Land. Everywhere she saw Tabuu's featureless face; every shadow she saw transformed into a Subspace mercenary.

She sat up and crossed over to the giant mirror. Once again, she'd fallen asleep in her Zero Suit. She sighed and grabbed a brush from her cabinet, pulling it through her hair. Once she was done, she pulled it out of her face and into a long ponytail. She would normally have showered, but this morning was special: they would be announcing the competitors in the Exhibition Match, and then post the bracket for the tournament.

Samus put on her Power Suit, her mind wandering as she subconsciously applied all of her armour. It all clicked into place while she anxiously wondered how she'd been ranked. The training week had been successful; she's won quite a few matches, including one against Corinne. Like all humans, Corinne was easily persuaded, so it also depended on how compatible they were with their trainer. Samus hadn't spoken a word to her, but judging by how Corinne watched her fighting she assumed that she admired her.

She twisted her helmet on, and then looked in the mirror. Her suit was a little scuffed from the training week and should be polished, but for the tournament she would be wearing her Varia Suit anyway, which would be cleaned daily. She then marched out of her room and down the hallway, towards the main hall. That would be where Corinne, Master Hand and Vivian would post the schedules.

Halfway down the stairs, Samus saw another person making their way towards the front of Smash Mansion – Solid Snake. She looked at him quizzically as he strode ahead of her. He loped along with a heavy kind of grace; he looked stealthy and powerful, although it was obvious that he'd seen many a war. It showed on the deep scars across his face and the slight limp he had.

Samus shadowed him, watching him closely. Only Vivian was there, tacking a few papers onto one of the main columns that lined the side of the main hall. Samus looked behind her, and could see several others following her: Red, Fox, Falco, Captain Olimar, Link and Zelda.

Snake approached the list and scanned over it for a few moments. Then, his face unreadable, he turned on his heel and left. Samus looked over at him discreetly, confused. She then looked up at the charts for herself.

She'd ranked fairly well: number four out of twenty-two, behind Meta Knight, Link and Ike. Those four were all trained warriors who fought regularly; Samus spent most of her time in her starship, only in combat when on a mission. She allowed herself to feel good about her ranking. In the competition, she would be facing the winner of Mr. Game & Watch and Meta Knight's battle, which she predicted would be Meta Knight. That could be a problem.

She then looked up at another sheet of paper. For the Exhibition Match, it would be Falco Lombardi against Captain Olimar. Behind her, the falcon looked down at the tiny captain with a look of mild disgust, as though he didn't think of the captain as a worthy opponent. Samus already resented the falcon pilot; she'd only met him once before and thought he was overconfident, cocky and only subpar at combat. Olimar, on the other hand, was much more cunning than he looked. She was already rooting on the inside for Olimar to win.

Samus turned and left the main hall, deep in thought. This would be her fourth tournament – third, if you didn't count the one five years ago. She had never won a single tournament, although in her second one – the one hundred and thirty-fifth – she had beaten Yoshi in the Exhibition Match and came in second, behind Mario. She had nothing to prove to anyone, nobody to impress, but still she felt like it was her time to win.

She walked absent-mindedly around the grand staircase leading to the second floor. Mario and Peach were headed towards the schedule as well. Although they weren't competing, it seemed to Samus that Mario was just as interested in the going-ons of the tournament as if he were. He had dropped by every single day during training, even going so far as to give them hints and tips during combat. She had sparred with him during her free time; as usual, Mario had defeated her, so badly that she was thrust into Trophy Form. She awoke seconds later, the inviting gloved hand already stretched out to help her up. She admired the Mushroom Kingdom hero and all that he did for his own region as well as Smash Land.

After a short hallway, a set of white double doors awaited her. She pushed them open easily and found herself in the gorgeous gardens of Smash Mansion. There were many secret locations found around the Mansion, ones that could only be found by those who had been there long enough; this garden was one of them. The only other people that she had seen in the gardens were Master Hand, Peach and Zelda, and the latter two were hosting a picnic. Certainly Mario, Link, Luigi and Daisy had to know about it as well.

The gardens were teeming with life. Tall trees, some bearing peculiar fruits, others holding beautiful, blossoming glowers, stretched towards the sky from every garden. Flowers in every color burst upwards, seemingly glowing with life. A wide, winding cobblestone path lead through the garden. Little stone benches and tables were set up periodically to rest. At the very end of the garden was a little circle of grass, surrounded by more flowers and trees. That was where Peach and Zelda had their tea party, and where Samus spent most of her time. She rested on the grass and looked up at the sky.

A few exotic birds flew through the air, cutting across the stretch of perfect blue sky. Immediately, Samus' helmet targeted them, zooming in to a close-up. Annoyed, she tried to switch it off. "_The tropic bird,"_ the voice said in its dry monotone. "_Also known as the tropicus smashus. Found exclusively in Smash Land, particularly in its northern jungles."_ Finally, Samus managed to switch it off by pressing her finger to the eyepiece on her helmet. She looked around and saw a little blue butterfly; once again, her helmet zoomed in. Samus growled loudly as it continued to speak. "_The blue butterfly,"_ it said. "_Also known as the azurus plexippus, is an insect native –"_ In her irritation, Samus pulled her helmet off with another growl and set it firmly on the grass next to her.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air of Smash Land. She had to control her temper. She just felt so boxed up in Smash Mansion, training underground all week. She had to focus on the tournament ahead of her. It wasn't like her to lose her cool like that.

A rustling noise alerted Samus to someone's presence. Her head shot to the side where she thought she had heard a noise. Narrowing her eyes, she could just see something black from behind a tall tree. In a flash, she raised her arm cannon and shot a small blast of energy towards the area. Sure enough, the black thing retreated. She cocked her eyebrow, waiting for whoever it was to say something or show itself. After a few moments, Solid Snake bent around the tree warily.

He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately frowned and cocked his head. "I'm… I'm sorry, you're Samus, right?" he asked. His voice was low and rough. He seemed slightly embarrassed for spying on her. Samus nodded, and he walked around the tree, standing a few feet away from her still. "I don't think I've ever seen you without your helmet on." She made no movement, so he cautiously approached and sat on the grass next to her, although leaving a fair amount of distance between them.

A few more moments passed in silence, before finally Snake spoke again. "You're a legend here, you know that?" She gave him a curious look. Snake nodded. "I mean, you've been here as long as Mario. You're a veteran." She shifted, looking up at the sky. "I've never been in something like this before. It's a little overwhelming."

"Why are you speaking to me?" Samus interrupted. Snake gave her another look, one that looked slightly insulted. Finally, he simply shrugged.

"What else is there to do?" he responded.

She did not reply. She didn't like making friends with people, especially not ones as suspicious as Snake. She was fine with Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Yoshi and Kirby… they weren't threatening to her. Even Mario she was comfortable around. But Snake looked shifty, and as though he'd been in many fights in his lifetime.

"Why are you in the Brawl Tournament?" he asked. Samus merely shrugged. Snake bit his lip, looking down. "I don't know why I was invited. Maybe it's because I helped fight Tabuu last time, but I'm really not a hero. I don't think I've ever done anything heroic in my lifetime." The way he spoke made Samus feel like he was maybe regretting his actions in the past. Although it was awkward, she felt like at that moment he wasn't a threat to her.

Snake looked her over. "What's that suit you're wearing?"

Samus looked down. "It's a Power Suit. It was made by the Chozos for me many years ago."

"What does it do?"

She half-smiled. "Whatever I want it to."

At that moment, a loud noise made both Snake and Samus jump. It was coming from everywhere; every plant, flower and blade of grass spoke as one, making a sound that reminded Samus of a child blowing a raspberry, trying to make themselves sound like an airplane as they held their arms out, running around in its likeness. Although the tone of the voice was deep, like a man's, but much more powerful and commanding. Only one being had the power to do this, and the immaturity to use it for such an effect. She sighed in irritation again, closing her eyes. Snake looked at her, alarmed.

Sure enough, Crazy Hand came floating around the corner, his giant thumb and pinky finger stretched out on either side, replicating the wings of an airplane. His other three gloved fingers were curled in as it soared from side to side. The airplane noises it was making grew louder and louder until the hand plummeted to the cobblestone path. The voice made a mock explosion noise as it crashed.

"Mayday! Mayday!" the voice hollered.

Snake looked confused. "Master Hand?"

Samus shook her head. "Nope."

Crazy Hand rolled on the ground before popping back up into the air, hovering before Snake and Samus. "Me?! Master Hand?!" he said in mock surprise, before laughing heartily. Snake looked even more confused. "Nah, I couldn't do what that guy can do… he's always just so uptight, you know? I'm just a fragment of him. You could say I'm all that's… _left_!" With another manic laugh, he flipped backwards into the air. Snake narrowed his eyes.

"That's Crazy Hand," Samus explained as the left hand twitched with laughter. "Master Hand's brother, I suppose. The left hand of the two. Not as powerful as Master Hand, but definitely more malicious. Watch out." Snake looked at her and nodded seriously. Finally Crazy Hand straightened up again, his fingers and joints still twitched into strange shapes.

"And you must be Solid Snake, correct?" Crazy Hand asked. Snake nodded slowly. "I'd imagine you're pretty _solid_ around this one, huh?" The hand let out another peal of laughter after pointing at Samus. Snake blushed, and Samus swiftly stood up, grabbing her helmet.

"That's enough, Crazy Hand," Samus snapped, walking past him. Crazy Hand continued to laugh maniacally, falling to the ground with laughter. Snake got up as well, walking off to a different area of the garden.

Samus blushed herself, reattaching her helmet. One again, Crazy Hand had succeeded in ruining everything. If ever she had been suspicious of Master Hand, she was downright suspicious of his partner. Typical of its attitude, he had ruined everything, and just when she was beginning to enjoy talking with the mysterious mercenary.

She walked back up the stairs. It was time to prepare for tomorrow's event, and there was no time to worry about the other competitors.

* * *

"Come on, Ness. You have to make a decision."

The PSI-powered boy rolled his head over towards the large closet. Lucas stood there, holding up two clothing hangers. Clipped to one was a pair of denim shorts and Ness' traditional, blue and yellow-striped t-shirt. The other featured black denim pants and a sleek black jacket. The newer outfit was more functional, but Ness had worn the other outfit for every other competition he'd been in. It was his signature, in fact; but times were changing. So much had happened since the last tournament. Perhaps it was time to spin tradition on its head.

Ness groaned loudly and flopped back onto his bed. "I can't pick!" he wailed dramatically.

Lucas groaned as well, storming back into the closet. "Fine, then!" he shouted. "You can do it yourself later. I just thought since the parade is tomorrow, followed by the highly-covered Exhibition Match, you'd want to look nice for a change!" Lucas stormed back into the main room again, crossing to the large mirror in the corner. Other supplies for the tournament, including Ness' weapons, were all in a large black bag next to it. "You know what, you've been awfully ungrateful the past few weeks! I came all the way from Eagleland with you just to watch this tournament, and you won't even listen to me!"

Ness sat up, watching his best friend storm around the room in a rage. He smiled to himself. Lucas wasn't really upset; he was nervous. But still, he was speaking his mind, something that he never would have done five years ago. They were both so much older and more mature – the Subspace War had changed them, but for the better. They were wiser and less rash now.

As Lucas continued to rant, Ness ventured back into the closet and looked at the two outfits. Finally, he took one off and carried it into the main room. Lucas looked up, pausing in his rant, and stopped. Then he smiled slightly, marching towards him.

"The new outfit it is, then," he concluded, his voice softer. Ness laid it down on the bed and Lucas bent over it, adjusting the zipper. "We're going to have to find you a new hat… I'm thinking black, maybe? I think that's kind of your theme for this year. Less cute and more intimidating." Lucas looked at him with a small smile.

For a moment, the two just looked at each other. No judgement, no questions, nothing. Ness just examined Lucas' dark eyes, and Lucas stared right back, unafraid and unflinching. A moment passed, and Ness looked away, back down at the outfit. He cleared his throat and scratched his nose awkwardly, unable to see the quiet look of disappointment on his friend's face.

"So, um, what does this jacket do exactly?" Ness asked.

Lucas took a deep breath in. "It'll channel your PSI powers easier," he explained. "It doesn't necessarily make them any more powerful, just more concentrated and easier to control. Kind of like a water faucet," he related easily. Ness nodded, stroking the fabric of the jacket. It was made of a strange material. "I had to order it from Silph Co. all the way over in the Pokémon Islands, but I tested it first. It works incredibly."

Ness nodded. "And what will you be wearing?"

His friend shrugged. "Since you're wearing this, and I'm basically your equivalent of a hype man, I'll have to wear something to compliment it." He raised a hand to his mouth in wonder. "Maybe something white, just to set it off."

Ness looked over at his friend. "Lucas, why didn't you want to compete this year?"

Lucas shrugged, not fully paying attention. "I'm not much of a fighter, I guess."

"But during the Subspace War you fought like a professional," Ness pointed out, straightening up. "Come on, you can't say you aren't prepared for it. I mean, you can control your PSI powers twice as well as I can –"

"– with half the strength," Lucas interrupted. He smiled at his friend. "I don't want to have to fight ever again. Helping you win this is enough for me." With that, his friend turned and quietly left Ness' room. The dark-haired boy watched him leave, his brow furrowed in thought.

* * *

"Just don't get too cocky, alright?" Fox said warily.

"Why not? I'm going to beat him anyway," Falco replied coolly.

The two animals wandered around the gardens, just a few minutes after Samus, Fox and Master Hand's confrontation. Fox felt the need to prepare his best friend for the Exhibition Match, but he had to admit that Olimar wasn't the best opponent for an experienced fighter pilot such as Falco. After years of training, the blue falcon was a master of combat with unmatched agility, speed and strength.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Fox said, despite his true feelings. "Olimar himself isn't what you need to worry about, it's those Pikmin of his. They're surprisingly vicious, especially in numbers. I suggest you get rid of them as quickly as possible before he has time to plant more. Oh, and if he does, try to stamp them out, they're weaker when they've been hurt during growing."

Falco frowned. "How do these Pikmin work, anyway?"

Fox shrugged. "I don't know. A couple years before the one hundred and thirty-sixth tournament, he was sent on a space voyage but crash landed on some foreign planet. He met these Pikmin and somehow managed to fix his ship, making it back here with a pocketful of seeds. I guess he's considered a hero now, since he was invited to the tournament last time."

"Yeah, but his ship's a beater though," Falco pointed out. "Come on, remember how trashy it looked? It looked like somebody duck taped it together. You can always judge a pilot on the ship he rides," Falco said firmly. "So why'd you bring me here?" he asked after a moment.

"To spy on Olimar, of course," Fox said, lowering his voice. "He's always out here."

The two quietly made their way down the cobblestone path. Fox held out his furry arm to stop his friend, and the two crouched behind a tall hedge. They peered silently over it, and sure enough, Olimar was there. He was bending down in a flower bed, holding back a tree branch with one arm and reaching into a big burlack sack at his side with the other.

As they watched curiously, Olimar withdrew a few small, stubby, cylinder-shaped things from his bag. One was bright red, another bright blue, the last purple. Each had a big, white number 1 emblazoned on it. He hummed as he buried them gently in the ground. Right before their eyes, little sprouts shot up immediately, making Falco jump. Olimar pulled a few more seeds out of the bag, including a yellow one, a white one and another blue one. After he buried them, he marched over to the sprouts and grasped each one tightly.

He pulled each one out with a strong tug. Right before Falco's eyes, a Pikmin emerged, fully formed, from the ground. His beak dropped open. He had seen Olimar fight with his little colorful friends before during training, but he had never known where he got them. Every day he came with new ones, as the others seemed to die rather quickly in puffs of smoke that descended to the skies. Everything about the little captain was strange.

The red Pikmin was very small, like all Pikmin, with a thin, humanoid body tainted entirely red. Its sprout still came from its head, with a big leaf at the tip. It had no mouth or ears, but a long, pointed nose and big, round eyes. Olimar set it aside and uprooted the blue one. It looked similar to the red one, but with only a mouth and no nose or ears, as well as big round eyes. Lastly, the purple one was chubbier, with a giant head and long eyelashes. It looked harder to pull out than the last two, as it was so much heavier.

Instantly, the tubby purple Pikmin began wandering off. Olimar didn't seem to notice, as he had busied himself with uprooting the others. To Falco's huge shock, the purple Pikmin was wandering towards them, behind the hedge. It wandered around the corner and looked up at them, blinking comically.

Once Olimar had harvested the other three – another blue Pikmin, a shrimp white Pikmin with bright pink eyes, and a yellow Pikmin with large ears – he turned and noticed the purple Pikmin. Fox and Falco ducked down, their hearts racing. The purple Pikmin continued to watch them curiously.

"Now, now! Stay with the pack, young one!" Olimar said. His voice was electronic and static-y, as it came from a speaker outside of his spacesuit. A loud whistle was heard, and from over the hedge a bright red light shone. The purple Pikmin immediately disregarded the animals and hurried back to the little Captain.

"Let's go," Falco whispered to Fox.

Fox nodded, and the two stealthily retreated. Meanwhile, Olimar stood in the centre of his little circle of Pikmin, smiling to himself. "They think they're quite clever, don't they?" he said quietly to his little Pikmin. None of them replied, opting to just stare up at him with their round, emotionless eyes. "We'll show him, won't we? Then nobody will look down at Captain Olimar ever again!" He rested his hands firmly against his hips, smiling gloatingly for a moment. Then, finally, he began walking back to the Mansion. "Come on, Pikmin!" he called, and they all chased after him eagerly.

* * *

Daisy had been looking all over for her boyfriend all afternoon. It was her first time in the Smash Mansion and she found it ridiculously confusing, with all of its multiple floors, flowers and rooms. Once, on her way to the cafeteria, she'd accidentely found herself in what appeared to be a secret library. By now, she at least knew how to make her way to the Main Hall. Frustrated and irritable, she descended the stairs heavily – only to see the green-clad hero standing in front of a tall pillar. Daisy's heart began pumping quickly.

"Luigi!" she shouted. Her boyfriend jumped, letting out a noise of shock. When he saw the beautiful princess storming towards him, as quickly as her high heels would allow, he blushed and couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. Many years ago, he had been set up with the monarch of Sarasaland by his brother and Princess Peach, and had never regretted it. She was as beautiful as Princess Peach, and looked slightly similar; they both wore long, intricate dresses and bore shiny crowns on top of their long hairdos. However, similar to Peach's affinity for pink, Daisy preferred to wear orange, and everything from her jewelry to her dress looked sunshiny and happy. Her hair was long and brown, and waved around her waist. Her deep bronze crown was embedded with little sapphires and emeralds.

"Yes, my dear?" Luigi asked timidly.

"I've been looking for you all afternoon!" she hollered. "Peach and I wanted to play some two-on-two tennis with you and Mario, but lo and behold, you were nowhere to be found!" Luigi cowered from his girlfriend, who glared at him with her hands on her hips. "Come on, Luigi! You promised if you brought me here you wouldn't desert me. Maybe you just don't love me enough," she huffed, turning her back to him and crossing her arms.

"No, no, no, Daisy!" Luigi assured, running around her large dress. He rested his gloved hands on her arms, looking up at her tenderly. "I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I'm just so caught up with the tournament, you know?"

Daisy sighed. "I know, I know. I just get so lost around here, and I know nobody," she snapped. "Except for Yoshi. But even he's been too busy with training. All I've been doing is spending time in my room."

Luigi nodded sympathetically. "How about we take Mario and Peach up on that tennis offer, then?" he suggested perkily.

"No, they've already left the court," Daisy informed. "Let's just go for a walk instead."

Luigi nodded and took his girlfriend's arm as they walked towards the main doors of the Mansion. He pulled it open for her, and they entered the warm, breezy courtyard. The statues of all the heroes of the Subspace War rose from the cobblestone ground, shining in the sunlight. The next tournament was only a day away… and Luigi would not be in it.

They walked slowly, in silence. Daisy was content now – just being in the presence of this thoughtful, loyal man made her feel happy. Many of her gossipy, more feminine friends back in Sarasaland would always ask her, "Why do you settle for Luigi? Mario's so much more manly and strong!" She had to smile even at the thought of that statement. Peach, who could be quite demanding herself, could handle somebody as tough as her boyfriend. She was just fine standing at the sidelines, watching him save the Kingdom over and over again. She could see Peach's life before her: them settling down, having a few heirs, and living out their life in a pleasant beach house on Yoshi's Island. Of course, they would live in glamour and fame, frequently travelling to Smash Land and other regions to visit their fans. But that was never what Daisy had wanted.

She wanted a life of adventure and recognition of her own. If she were with a man like Mario, who carried around the burden of his own legacy with him wherever he went, she would end up like Peach: always waiting, never doing. Daisy was athletic and adventurous, and needed someone who would do it with her, not without her. Luigi was the perfect man. He, too, was tired of living under his brother's shadow, and had always had a flair for adventure and sports as well. He loved Daisy as much as she loved him, and would never overshadow her with his own fame. They were equal – they were a pair. Besides, Mario was far too hot-headed and independent… Daisy always liked someone who needed her.

They approached the gates, where more guards wielding dangerous, powerful weapons stood. As soon as they were within their reach, they held out their large, spear-flanked laser guns and formed an X over the handle of the gates.

"Whoa!" Luigi exclaimed, hopping back.

"What's going on here?!" Daisy said, shocked.

"I'm afraid we can't let you through, Your Majesty," one said firmly.

Daisy let go of Luigi and put her hands on her hips again. "What do you mean, you can't let us through?!"

"Daisy…" Luigi said quietly, trying to pull his girlfriend away.

"No, Luigi!" she shouted, pulling away. "Let us through!"

"I can't do that," he repeated, a little more timidly. He held his head forward, staring straight away, but Luigi could still see his nervous eyes. "I'm under strict orders from the Smash Council that no competitor is allowed to pass through these gates. It was one of the agreements that were made when the tournament was permitted to continue."

"Well, neither of us are competitors. So let us out!"

The guard bit his lip. "Well… I guess you technically aren't competing…"

"That's damn right!" Daisy shouted. "Open the gates!"

The guards slowly lowered their weapons, and the other guard unlocked the large gate with his wristband. It swung open and Daisy marched forward, brushing past it impatiently. Luigi followed, slightly embarrassed for his girlfriend. He finally managed to catch up with her, but her arms were still crossed.

"This is ridiculous! All of this security is pointless," she huffed.

"Sonic doesn't seem to think so," Luigi said with a shrug.

They moved through the streets of Smashville, surrounded by the excited civilians. On any other day, Luigi would immediately be spotted and possibly stopped for an autograph or two – particularly after the Subspace War. However, this was the day before the Opening Ceremony and the Exhibition Match – people everywhere were dressed as their favourite heroes. Quite a convincing Link and Zelda couple marched past them, while a cheap, poor impression of Samus' Varia Suit ran past them anxiously. Daisy, distracted, slowed down her pace enough for Luigi to walk beside her comfortably.

"Why are they all dressed up?" she asked.

Luigi shrugged. "They get really into the tournament, I suppose."

The Princess had never been to a Brawl Tournament before. It was all so exciting, but also full of tension – particularly inside the Smash Mansion. Luigi looked up to see big, crimson flags emblazoned with the Smash symbol hanging from telephone wires and clothing lines between tall buildings. The sky was blue and cheery; little puffy white clouds dotted the sky innocently. It was going to be a perfect day.

_Exactly like last time, _Luigi thought darkly.

Not watching where he was going, he bumped right into someone else walking the opposite direction. When he saw who it was, he felt slightly shocked. It was Mario. How could he have possibly gotten past the gates?

"Luigi!" Mario exclaimed loudly and boisterously. Shocked, Luigi was pulled into a big hug. "How-a are you, my little-a brother?" the portly red hero exclaimed. Luigi frowned. He was speaking in a terrible accent, and he was smiling as if he'd just won the tournament. It was everything Mario was stereotyped to be by the people of Smash Land. It was only at that moment did Luigi realize that he was not facing his older brother, but an immaculate, perfectly detailed impersonator.

Luigi smiled slightly. "Oh, ah, yes! I'm well, um… Mario," Luigi stammered. Behind the Mario impersonator stood a Peach impersonator. She wasn't identical to the Princess, but was fairly close. Daisy gave her a wary eye as she scuttled towards her costumed partner.

"Come on, Mario!" she exclaimed in an overly peppy, high-pitched voice. "We have to get to the bakery before it closes! And then we'll have a tea party, alright?" Daisy rolled her eyes. It was almost as if they were mocking their favourite heroes rather than dressing up as them.

"Alright-a, my pretty little Peach!" the Mario impersonator exclaimed. "See-a you at the tournament, Luigi!" The two walked off. Daisy scoffed, and continued walking with her boyfriend.

"That was pretty impressive, I must admit," Daisy commented.

Luigi nodded. He couldn't help but feel a little sad, being surrounded with all the excited civilians. The Mario impersonator had thought he, too, was just a spectator decked out in a costume; and in reality, he was nothing more. This year he would only be in the crowd, watching.

"What's the matter, Luigi?" Daisy asked, looking down at him.

Luigi sighed. "I guess I was just looking forward to the tournament this year. But because Mario is so certain it'll end in disaster he said I couldn't participate."

Daisy nodded sympathetically. "I know. But at least you'll get to watch with me!" He took his hand and the two darted into the crowds of people, blending in like everyone else – just like Luigi felt every day of his life.

* * *

"_Why have you come here?"_

The cold peaks of Sinnoh were suffering from a serious blizzard. Snow and hail blocked out almost everything of Mewtwo's vision, but through the storm he could sense a strong presence. As well as being able to read it, Lucario gave off his own significant, distinct aura – one that only Mewtwo and other powerful Pokémon could read.

"_I need your help," _Mewtwo said telepathically.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, as if it were speaking in his own mind, Lucario's voice rang out. "_You want me to stop the Brawl Tournament from occurring, don't you?"_

"_Yes," _Mewtwo replied, slightly confused. "_How do you know?"_

"_I have my ways."_

Silence prevailed for many long minutes. Then, for just a moment, the wind broke, and Mewtwo could see him. Lucario stood on the very top of Mt. Coronet, facing away from the Legendary Pokémon behind him. Although he was not of legendary status, Lucario was very respected by Mewtwo – his ability to read, sense and control aura was extremely impressive, and even surpassed Mewtwo's.

The Pokémon resemble a jackal, with its long snout and tall, pointed ears. It was roughly the same size at Mewtwo, and like him, he also had a humanoid body shape. Short fur covered its body; some black, some dark blue. Its torso was light yellow, and its upper legs were blue. Large spikes protruded from its two hands and its chest. A long tail extended from its body. Even stranger, four black appendages stretched out from the back of its head that rose whenever it used its aura powers. It was balanced on one foot, at the very tip of the peak, its hands pressed together as if in meditation.

"_When does it commence?" _Lucario asked.

"_Tomorrow."_

A few more moments.

"_If we leave now, we can make it in time."_

Mewtwo nodded, then rose up into the air, glowing slightly purple. Then, the Pokémon flew through the air, over the mountain range, flying south.

"_I will assist you."_

Below him, Mewtwo could see Lucario leaping from peak to peak, its eyes and black appendages glowing bright blue. If the Smash Council would not help him, then he had to use his own kind – the Pokémon. Surely Pikachu and Jigglypuff would assist.

The ocean approached rapidly. In just an hour or so it was upon them. At the moment that it did, Lucario leapt up from the shore. Mewtwo watched, confused as to how the Pokémon could cross the sea. But instead of leaping into the waves, it stretched its arms out in front of it. They glowed bright blue, and a jet seemed to materialize under it, propelling it forward.

Together, the two Pokémon sped towards Smash Land together to stop the tournament.

* * *

Thanks for reading! :3


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